A Matter of Time
by Vesalius
Summary: Time Travel AU: Lauren happens across a rare Fae artifact that offers her a chance to travel back in time and meet the most exquisite woman in the world. Unfortunately, when the effects wear off, she's nowhere to be found. Can Lauren solve the mystery behind the woman's disappearance so they can finally be together? Doccubus.
1. Prologue

Disclaimers: Lost Girl is the property of Prodigy Pictures and Shaw Media. I own nothing, and do not take any credit for any creative choices its production staff has made. However, any further bastardization of the plot and/or characters in the scope of this story is solely of my own doing, for which I apologize immensely.

This will feature characters from season 1 and 2 only. As it is a time travel work, people might be talking a little differently as well. The story does center around the Fae world, but the show's canon will be heavily changed throughout this piece.

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The human brain tended to suppress its most unpleasant memories.

It was a protective mechanism, Lauren knew. That's what she always explained to her patients when they experienced a traumatic event and failed to recall it years after the fact. There were psychological exercises that could be done to recover the repressed memories, Lauren told them, but the realistic chances of that happening were slim. Additionally, most were better off _not_ coming back.

The more often memories were retrieved and ingrained, the more likely a person was to recall them much later. It was why people could remember the exact shade of their wedding dress, or the look on their partner's face when they said "I love you" for the first time. Some people could even recall the exact temperature or the smells in the air. They reminisced on those happy times so often that they would never lose them, even when the rest of their body was falling apart.

Lauren never thought she'd be someone that repressed moments in her life, but that was before she got dragged into the world of the Fae. There were things she was happier forgetting, like the day she was captured. Which is why it was odd that she was trying to remember it now. She never advocated for her patients to try to seek out their lost memories, but Lauren was about to go against her own advice.

It was a matter of life or death.

She quickly relaxed her body on the chaise and closed her eyes, attempting to remember what happened that fateful day six years ago. She'd always had bits and pieces, but never had the full picture. There was a tinge of unreality to what she remembered, and Lauren was determined to recall everything exactly as it occurred.

She couldn't stop the unconscious frowns that formed as her mind flooded with images from that day. The part that she was interested in, however, lasted only seconds, and it was the part she'd always had difficulty recalling in the months and years that followed. She focused intensely, trying to piece together the bits of narrative in her mind. There was a flash of silver, a figure falling to the ground, and then time stood unnervingly still.

Lauren bolted upright, and her eyes shot wide open.

She remembered.


	2. The Blackthorn's Request

The Blackthorn's visit was the first one in over a century, and naturally, the Light Fae were buzzing about his arrival. Lauren hardly heard talk of anything else the entire week, even when she was holed in her lab most of the time.

She didn't know the reason for his sudden interest in traveling overseas. Like the Ash, the Blackthorn had duties to attend to as the ruler of his Light Fae clan. Official visits were spared for only the most important issues. The last one in recorded history had been when the Fae clans were on the brink of war, and the Blackthorn arrived with several ambassadors to negotiate a peace treaty. The crisis was avoided, so everyone celebrated.

Lauren wasn't allowed to be present during the revelry, as the Ash explained thoroughly. She was only human, and as such, her company wasn't appropriate for Fae celebrations. It wasn't entirely unexpected; after all, she was forbidden to attend La Shoshain every year as well. But Lauren always rationalized that decision because there were Dark Fae present at those celebrations, and she was the property of the Ash. She'd hoped to get a chance to see the Blackthorn though, as it was a Light Fae event and literally a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. But unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

There were no patients in the labs today because all of them were in the main hall — or, if the compound's liquor supply had run dry, the Dal Riata. Lauren could go back to her apartment and be thoroughly alone — while probably putting away a bottle of wine all by herself — or she could stay in her lab and work. The first option was far too depressing, even by Lauren's standards, so she used the free time to get caught up on other jobs at the lab without distractions now that there were no other obligations.

Lauren clipped twelve EKG leads onto her simulator, flipping the switch on the device as she watched the various lines dance across the monitor's screen. The lateral leads appeared to be fine, but the voltage reading on AVF was a little low. She twisted the dial on her monitor until each pulse read fifteen millimeters, the control value emitted for each of the limb leads. Recalibrating medical equipment was usually contracted out to other companies — at least that was the case when Lauren practiced in the human world — but the Fae didn't do that to protect their secrecy, so Lauren was responsible for its upkeep. Soft footsteps caused Lauren to look up from her screen, and she saw Dyson walking toward her, carrying an ornate wooden chest in his arms.

"I'm here on orders of the Ash," he announced. There was no emotion in his voice as he dropped the chest down on Lauren's workstation. "He wants these taken to the vault and catalogued with the rest of the collection."

Lauren wasn't very close to many Fae, but for some reason unbeknownst to her, Dyson had always been particularly icy toward her since the first day she arrived. He was more passive in his dislike of the Ash's other humans; most times he simply ignored them. While he never outright lost his temper in Lauren's presence, he made it perfectly clear that he did not approve of the Ash's appointment to chief medical director.

"What is this?" Lauren asked.

"The Blackthorn has brought our clan gifts for the Ash's vault."

It wasn't an unusual occurrence. Fae clans used their abilities to stay financially well connected, so monetary gifts weren't coveted among leaders. Ancient Fae relics, on the other hand, were rare, and their powers were often unique. The more rare and powerful, the more respectful the gift was. Judging by the size of the chest, the Blackthorn brought an immense wealth of riches with him on his trip.

Lauren nodded at the order. "I'll do it straight away."

"When you head up, make sure to use the north wing," Dyson added. "There are still guests in the main hall, and they wouldn't want their celebration ruined."

That last comment was completely unnecessary, and with the smirk on his face, Lauren could tell he knew the effect it had on her.

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his back on her and strode out of the labs. The automatic doors closed behind him, and once Lauren was sure he was not coming back, she picked up her pen and flung it across the room. It soared through the air right at the spot his face had just occupied.

The stairway to the vault was on the other side of the compound, and Lauren needed to cross either the north or south wing to get there. She was already planning on using the north wing, mainly because it _did_ bypass the main hall, but Dyson's words were framed in such a way that made her sound like nothing more than an animal, much in same way that people who owned unruly pets locked them up and out of sight when they had company over. The statement was intended to hurt, and it did. Lauren was already far too aware of her station in this world — no need for the constant reminders of it.

She grabbed the chest roughly from the bottom, cradling it between both arms and stabilizing it against her flat abdomen. It wasn't particularly heavy, but it was large enough to be awkward — her elbows bowed out to the side to accommodate its width. The Blackthorn's symbol was sculpted into the lid, easily recognizable to Lauren, who had studied all manner of Fae lore since she'd been claimed by the Ash, and she could tell that a great deal of time had been spent on crafting just the chest itself. The items inside must have been priceless.

Lauren's arms were burning from the uncomfortable positioning by the time she reached the vault on the third floor. It was isolated here in the far tower, and she'd climbed a long, spiraling staircase to get here, so there would be nobody passing here by accident. That was the idea behind the vault to begin with; the seclusion equaled an added layer of security. That, combined with the fact that it only opened with a master key, meant that Lauren would be left alone during her task.

The artifacts needed to be written in the vault's registry whenever they were placed inside or were taken out. For help with identification, there was a huge encyclopedia inside, complete with descriptions and diagrams. As Lauren was a frequenter of the vault, she was ironically more of an expert than many ancient Fae when it came to their magical relics. The thought made her smile.

Some items inside the chest Lauren recognized: Jahayla's Coin, the Sarsen Stone, the Gleipnir, a vial of spark extract, and a pixie impaler. But some she hadn't seen before. She had to look those items up in the huge book, and as it was arranged alphabetically, it only complicated matters. When Lauren pulled out an odd sphere-shaped device, she had no idea was it was called, yet the book didn't let her search by the word sphere. It made the process crawl along at a glacial pace. The next time Lauren glanced at her watch, three hours had already passed, and there were still items along the bottom. Slowly but surely, Lauren emptied the chest, identifying one artifact after another and placing it on its designated shelf in the vault.

She reached in to grab the last item from the bottom of the chest. It looked like an antique brass pocket watch of some sort, but save for the Blackthorn emblem across the casing, it was completely nondescript. It was clearly something Fae though, and Lauren set to looking it up in the reference book. Unfortunately, it wasn't anywhere to be found.

There were over a thousand pages in the huge book, and not one of them contained the item Lauren held in her hand. There was, however, a desk clock in the book that could speed time up or slow it down based on where the hands were set. There was also a bizarre watch that made a horrible screeching noise whenever its wearer was running late. But there didn't appear to be any pocket watch specifically associated with the Blackthorn. Lauren would have seen it if there was. After all, she'd searched for hours.

"Ahem," someone cleared their voice behind Lauren, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. There wasn't supposed to be anyone else here, so the sudden appearance was even more jarring. Lauren spun around quickly, spotting a man in a fancy black suit. "You must be Dr. Lewis," he said with a friendly smile.

Lauren tried to get her heart rate and breathing back under control now that she realized she wasn't being attacked or hearing things. "That's correct," she said. "And you are?"

"My name is Marcus. I'm the Blackthorn of the European Light Fae community." His voice was deep and smooth, the perfect voice for a politician.

Lauren's eyes grew impossibly wide. She hadn't recognized her present company, and now she felt immensely foolish. She'd followed none of the Fae etiquette and was horrified by her lack of manners. Without even a second thought, she dropped to one knee and dropped her head, averting her eyes away from him. It was what had always been expected of her, even around the Ash, and she hoped that the Blackthorn wouldn't hold that against her.

"Please stand up, doctor," Marcus said kindly. "There's no need for those wretched, outdated customs here."

Surely Lauren must have misheard him. Fae leaders were notoriously sticklers for their ancient rules, even if they didn't make much sense. That included the humans bowing every time a clan leader or a member of the elder council made an appearance. Humans weren't allowed to rise from their knees until they were given permission, and Lauren even heard of one instance where the elders allowed one of the Ash's humans to kneel for several hours before finally noticing he was there. He'd seen Lauren the next day because his knees were hurting, and she had to give him prescription strength pain medication afterward.

"Pardon, sir?"

"You don't have to bow in my presence, Dr. Lewis," he said, shaking his head. "You've done more for the Light Fae than many of its own members. I'd say you earned the right to stand on your own two feet."

This was the most bizarre interaction Lauren had ever had with a Fae, and once again she had to entertain the possibility that she was actually hallucinating this entire situation. She did stand up at the strange Fae's request, however, tilting her head slightly as she regarded him with a combination of confusion and awe. She'd wanted to see the Blackthorn for the sake of saying she'd done it, but she never could have imagined this scenario.

"Is there…" Lauren paused, not knowing why he could possibly have come to see her in this secluded part of the compound. "Is there something you wanted, sir?"

"Have you managed to identify all of the artifacts I sent?"

Lauren frowned, eying the pocket watch still clutched tightly in her hands. "All except for one. I've looked all over our references, and I can't find it anywhere."

"And you _won't_ find it in there," he said, eying the device with a knowing grin. "That's a novelty item. Nobody in the Fae world knows about it, save for my daughter. It's a family heirloom."

"What is it?"

Marcus didn't answer straight away, but his eyes roamed over Lauren, alight with curiosity. It was so odd sharing a room with him. When Lauren was with the Ash, there was an uncomfortable tension between them. Lauren was practically walking on eggshells around him, and even if she did everything he asked, he _never_ treated her as he would've treated another Fae. With Marcus, she felt as if she were talking to an equal, yet he was as powerful as the Ash, probably even more so.

"Take a walk with me," he said. "I have a favor to ask of you, and I'm sure you have a few questions."

_More like many, many questions_, Lauren thought.

She nodded, and followed Marcus as he stepped out of the vault. It was much brighter on the landing, where a tall window allowed in the late afternoon sun. For security reasons, the vault had no windows and only one door, so it relied on light from several floor lamps situated around the room. In the clear air outside, Lauren could see the rough texture of Marcus' dark, weathered skin more clearly. Everything about him held an air of authority, yet he didn't seem to flaunt it the way the Ash and the elders did. She stayed behind him until they reached the stone passageway downstairs, where they moved to walk side by side.

Lauren was surprised when the Blackthorn led her down the south wing toward the courtyard. They would be passing directly in front of the main hall, where Dyson explicitly told her not to go.

There were more than a few stares as they walked by. The Blackthorn was a widely recognized and respected leader, but nearly all the Fae at this compound recognized Lauren as the _human_ doctor. The disbelief on their faces was priceless, almost as if they couldn't imagine why the Blackthorn could possibly want to associate with a lowly human. Lauren didn't allow herself to smile, but she secretly enjoyed watching their jaws drop, most notably Dyson. He was probably vying for an audience with the Blackthorn all day, and Lauren was the one that was rewarded with his company. It was hard _not_ to gloat about that. Marcus interrupted Lauren's musings before they finished passing the celebrating Fae.

"I can tell that you want to ask me something," Marcus said. "What is it?" Lauren turned head around to face him, and he was glancing at her with polite interest.

Lauren hesitated for a second. "Why… Why me exactly? You appear to be in good health, so it's not as if you need a doctor. I'm sure there are any number of Fae that could help you with something you needed better than I could."

He gave her a knowing smile as they passed through the rest of the hallway but said nothing, not until they'd passed through the open archway into the courtyard. It was a beautifully landscaped masterpiece, something the Ash was very fond of, but he put very little effort into its upkeep. There were several species of nature fairies that kept the gardens flourishing without asking anything in return. It was their safe place, away from prying human eyes. The Blackthorn continued strolling down the gravel path, admiring the brightly colored flowers on the bushes lining the trail.

"I read your review article on spacetime theory," he said, finally bringing his attention away from the lush foliage, "the one where you argued against Einstein's quantum theory. It made for some interesting reading, though you seemed unsure of your own conclusions in your paper."

Lauren definitely wasn't expecting that to be their topic of conversation, and she frowned. "Well, there's no way to effectively _prove_ that quantum mechanics and quantum gravity are related," she said, "The way particles interact, and how that equates to the sensation of time, is still a relative mystery. I was just pointing out some of the inconsistencies in Einstein's theory, ones that we've only been able to uncover recently. I don't claim to have any definitive answers yet — the technology just isn't there."

"You know, I remember when I had to deal with Albert. It was back when he was just a patent clerk in Switzerland," Marcus chuckled, obviously reminiscing over some past memory. It was odd, hearing the greatest physicist of all time referred to as if he were an old friend, but such was the way of the Fae. "To this date, he's the closest a human has ever come to uncovering our world on their own. I would commend him, but it was always a huge cover up project to keep him from discovering all our secrets. He gave me stress ulcers all by himself."

"I'll bet," Lauren said, allowing herself to laugh along with him.

"His spacetime theory was close to being correct, though. But as you said, he didn't have the luxury of current mathematical and physical models."

It wasn't often that Lauren had the opportunity to discuss these interests with anyone else, at least, not on the level that Marcus did. Just as he treated her as an equal, he spoke to her as one also. It felt like ages since she'd been able to discuss her studies with anyone else. She'd been starved for intelligent conversation among the Fae, and she never quite realized how much she missed it until now.

Lauren nodded. "He speculated that once an object moves at the speed of light, time stands still for that object. It works in theory. We can measure that the faster an object moves, the slower time passes relative to things around it. Any object causes curvature of the spacetime continuum, and that's what we perceive as force moving it."

"And by the findings in your paper, how do you think he was incorrect?" He stopped in his tracks, giving Lauren a serious look. This is what he'd meant for the conversation to arrive at, and she couldn't fathom why. Lauren was forced to stop walking as well in order to continue the conversation.

"The problem is the way that Einstein's theory of general relativity holds up only in calculations of quantum gravity. He put the idea to rest that time is an absolute, steady entity — and correctly argued that it's another dimension dependent on space and distorted by matter. But that theory doesn't hold up in quantum mechanics. Following Einstein's rules, if you calculate in gravitons the force between to objects propelling them through spacetime, it's always infinite."

"You never proposed _your_ theory though, Dr. Lewis." He thrust both hands in his pockets, waiting for her reply.

There was a reason Lauren didn't publish those ideas. All she proved was that there were inconsistencies in Einstein's theory. She had her own theories about how space and time worked, but she didn't have any proof to her side, only speculation. To Lauren, putting forth unsubstantiated research and presenting it as fact was irresponsible and damaging to the scientific community, and she didn't want to take part in that. This was Marcus though. It wasn't the same as an official publication; it was merely a conversation amongst like-minded people.

Lauren took a deep breath and explained: "I believe that there is space, time, and matter, and that these three separate entities interact intimately with each other, resulting in the way we perceive the world. The relationships between the three become increasing entangled until the system reaches equilibrium. If you change time, for instance, the equilibrium between space and matter shifts. It would allow for the observations Einstein noticed without the more modern mathematical inconsistencies."

"How would you propose testing your theory, doctor?"

"That's the problem — you can't. None of our current methods allow you to change the variables of time, matter, or space independently. You can change the entire system but not one at a time."

"Hmm…" Marcus looked away, admiring the flowers once again. He appeared pensive, and Lauren couldn't even begin to guess where their conversation would go next. The most surprising meeting of her life had turned into one of the most unexpected conversations ever. "What if I told you one of those variables _could_ be changed in isolation?"

Lauren gaped at him for several moments. She couldn't remember to do anything other than blink. "Pardon?"

"Time, Dr. Lewis," he said with a smile before beginning his leisurely stroll again.

He was several paces ahead of Lauren already, and she stared after him in disbelief. Lauren couldn't envision how it would even be possible, but he seemed so sure of himself. He was a science-minded person, not unlike Lauren, and he apparently believed it was possible. She rushed forward to catch up with him before he got too far away, her feet scuffling along the gravel as she hurried along the trail.

"How is that even possible?" Lauren asked, slightly breathless.

He smirked. "Would you be shocked to hear that there used to be Fae that could do just that?"

_No_, Lauren thought. Although her knowledge of Fae lore was nowhere near complete yet, she'd seen enough to realize that there was very little outside the realm of possibility when it came to the Fae and their abilities. Eventually, she wanted to know everything there was to know about them as a species, but she'd only served them for six years. There were a number of tasks the Ash kept her busy with that didn't allow her to have a ton of free time.

"I've never heard of such a Fae," Lauren answered.

"My grandfather was one, may the gods rest his soul — a Chronos," he explained, glancing toward Lauren who was listening with rapt attention. They both slowed their pace to a complete stop as they reached the center of the courtyard and stood before the Ash's fountain. "He could manipulate time just as you described: independently of space and matter — accelerate it forward or backward, or even make it stand still. As you might imagine, it was a highly coveted gift. They were highly sought after and were often killed by opposing clans to protect their own. My grandfather was the Blackthorn before me and was the last of his kind. Assassinated by the Dark Fae, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright. It happened ages ago, and the ones involved have long since been punished," Marcus assured her. "I think he knew his time was running short, like perhaps he'd gone forward and seen the outcome of his own life. Just two days before he was killed, he gave me that watch you have in your hand."

Lauren studied the watch more closely now that she knew of its significance to the Blackthorn and his family. There was a tiny clasp on the side, so she flicked it unlocked, and the wide brass lid swung open.

It was unlike any watch Lauren had ever seen.

There were four hands of various lengths, all set in various locations, and there were absolutely no numbers to speak of anywhere. It barely even looked like a clock face, but it was still beautiful, without a doubt. The ivory face with gold filigree lining the edges gave it a classic elegance that wasn't usually seen in its more modern counterparts. She still didn't know what to make of the thing though.

"Why is it so…?" Lauren didn't exactly know how to finish her question. She wondered why it looked so bizarre, but for some reason it seemed disrespectful to call it that, especially as it had belonged to a dear relative.

"Weird?" Marcus finished for her. Lauren looked away guiltily, causing him to chuckle. "He said he 'put a little bit of himself' in that watch, something that would help me to remember him by. I have to say, I've enjoyed having it over the years, but I've gotten just about all I wanted from it — and had a great time doing so, I might add." He gazed at the watch in Lauren's hand reverently. "Unfortunately, it's nearly worn out. There's not much life left in it, and there's something I need you to help me with before it's finished."

"Of course, what is it that you want me to do?"

Marcus reached into Lauren hand and shut the pocket watch's lid her before meeting her eyes. "Our current political climate isn't stable, as you well know. Now I've accelerated time to find out what happens on our current path, and it isn't pretty. The Fae forced a bad peace long ago, and we've been living on the edge of a war ever since. If the course isn't changed, those laws will collapse, and we'll descend into a massive global war between the clans. Now, I've already groomed my daughter to take over my position, but I will _not_ have that be the legacy that my family leaves behind."

"I don't understand…"

"I've also visited the past, Dr. Lewis." Marcus looked at her seriously. "The laws from the old king — the ones that forced this artificial peace in the first place — they need to be overturned. There is only one person that can do that, and I need you to go back and ensure that happens. I've already seen the past, and I can guarantee you that you're the only one that will be able to do it. I just needed to make sure you understood the mechanics."

It was the strangest request Lauren ever heard. She vaguely understood what the watch did now; somehow Marcus' grandfather harnessed his own abilities and placed them in this watch. He could alter time itself, which was an abstract enough concept, but the way Marcus described it seemed completely impossible. The scientific part of Lauren's brain would be mulling over that information all night, she was certain. But the more immediate concern was what he was requesting that she did now — Lauren still didn't understand that completely.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Lauren asked. "I don't have even the remotest idea of what I need to do, who you're talking about, or where this person is… Or _when_ this person is, for that matter," Lauren added realizing that he was actually asking her to go back in time to perform this task for him. The prospect was exciting, yet daunting.

He simply smiled at her. It was that same calm, reassuring smile he'd given her when he first surprised her in the vault. He could obviously sense that she was uneasy — maybe even verging on the edge of a panic — and was using his easygoing demeanor to put her worries at ease.

He said simply: "The hands are already set for you."

Then he turned and started walking away… just like that.

There were still so many questions that Lauren had left to ask. How did she make the watch work? How would she know who the person was that needed to change the laws? How did she get back? The confusion and lack of answers were making her dizzy. She _needed_ to know.

"Wait!" she called out to the retreating form of Marcus.

He didn't turn around, but lifted his hand to offer Lauren a slight wave as he continued walking back in the direction they'd just come. She watched as he passed through the archway and out of sight, and a feeling of despair came over her. She sat down on the fountains ledge and buried per face in her hands, the pocket watched still firmly clutched in her fist and its gold chain hanging down the length of her forearm.

From the way he was talking, it sounded as if terrible things were going to happen if certain aspects of history weren't corrected. Yet while the prospect of traveling back through time excited Lauren from a scientific standpoint, she in no way felt prepared for what he asked her to do. He'd said that if she failed to do it, there would be a war. The Fae would destroy each other (as they were often so close to doing now), and there would be heavy human casualties as well. Lauren didn't need that on her conscience.

But there was no one else that _could_ do it. The Blackthorn has assured her of that somehow, based on his own experiences in the past. Not to mention, _Lauren_ was the one with the watch. Nobody else could go back if they didn't have it in their possession.

The crunching of gravel in front of her caused her to look up. She was hoping to see Marcus again, that perhaps he'd come back to answer her questions. But instead she saw her least favorite people on the compound. Dyson's bearded face was twisted into a scowl, and his two friends flanked him on either side with similar expressions. Lauren instinctively shoved the watch into her back pocket to hide it from the oncoming Fae.

"What did the Blackthorn want from you?" Dyson asked shortly. He'd obviously noticed the foreign leader's return, and was burning with curiosity — probably intense jealousy as well. But Lauren wasn't about to tell him about the Blackthorn's request.

"He had some questions about a scientific review that I wrote last year," Lauren improvised. She mentally patted herself on the back for that one; after all, it wasn't untrue.

"He wanted to ask about a paper _you_ wrote?"

"Yes. Whether you'd like to believe it or not Dyson, I am quite accomplished in my fields of study. My works have been published in several international journals, and the Blackthorn happened to like one of them."

Dyson's scowl only got more intense, if that were possible. She'd never particularly understood his reaction to her. From the day she arrived at the compound, he was always taking extra efforts to put her down or get under her skin. Most times, Lauren didn't let it affect her too much. She brushed most slights off quickly since she'd been with the Fae as a sort of protective mechanism. But Dyson couldn't stand it when Lauren got any positive attention for some reason, even if it had no impact on him at all. It was as if he'd already disliked her from some other life, and now that they were both here, anything related to her he felt compelled to scorn at all costs. It was baffling.

"I don't care about your little paper," Dyson sneered. "The Blackthorn has left the Ash's courtyard. Humans aren't allowed to be here unless they're on strict orders, so unless you want to spend a few days in the dungeon, I suggest you get moving."

Lauren knew she wasn't technically allowed in this garden, but since the Blackthorn had escorted her there, it was permissible. She just made the mistake of staying a couple of minutes too long. Any other Light Fae wouldn't have bothered with correcting her. They would've simply stayed in the main hall and continued drinking in their visitor's name. Not Dyson though. He would see to it that Lauren knew her place and was punished appropriately if need be.

Lauren stood up, dusting off the stone dust from the back of her jeans. "I was just leaving," she said. Neither Dyson nor his friends moved from their spots, forcing her to walk around them, a difficult task seeing as how the three of them took up nearly the entire width of the trail. They didn't follow her, but she could sense their eyes on her back as she left.

Before meeting the Blackthorn, Lauren would have returned to the labs to continue working. That place didn't seem private enough anymore. Her apartment wasn't exactly a safe house, but there wouldn't be Fae casually walking in and out if the fancy struck them. Lauren needed some privacy to find out how this old pocket watch worked, and the only place she knew that offered that was her own apartment.

* * *

Lauren stared at her desk in complete frustration. It had been two hours already, and she was no closer to finding out how the damned pocket watch actually worked.

By now the celebrations at the Fae compound would have been winding down. Marcus would have retired to — well, where ever the Ash decided he would stay. If Lauren's suspicions were correct, he was probably at a swanky Light Fae hotel in their penthouse suite under heavy Light Fae security. She couldn't have gotten in touch with him even if she tried.

The small button on top of the watch wasn't budging despite multiple attempts at pushing it. Lauren even tried twisting the button a little to help get it moving, but she had no luck. There were no other controls, only the hands, which oddly hadn't moved at all since she'd arrived back to her place. There didn't appear to be any other moving parts, nothing that Lauren could manipulate on her own.

It was time for a glass of wine.

Lauren tried pushing the button again, and yet again it didn't budge. She let the brass relic clatter on top of her desk in annoyance; nothing so mechanically simple had ever defeated her before in her life. She glowered at it, hoping that it would somehow sense her growing irritation and choose to comply with her wishes. Obviously it didn't.

Perhaps it was time for a second glass of wine for the evening.

Lauren sipped at her glass slowly, savoring the taste. There had to be something she was missing. The Blackthorn wouldn't have let Lauren take one of his treasured family heirlooms with her and asked her to use it unless there was some way for her to make it work. There wouldn't be any manuals or any special instructions or incantations too look up in a book either. As Marcus said, this was a novelty item, and as far as the Fae community at large was concerned, it didn't exist. There had to be something intrinsic about the watch itself that activated it, so Lauren set her glass down and scooted her chair up closer to her desk once again, pulling the watch up into her hand by its long gold chain. By now, the lid was closed, and she clenched it between her hands, running it through her fingers several times as she thought.

But then she felt it, an unexpected movement causing her hands to still.

A part along the watch's flat metal back slipped. It was subtle, but there was no mistaking what she'd felt. Lauren turned the watch over to examine the area. It looked just the same as it had before, so she pushed against it again, trying to mimic the pressure she'd unintentionally placed against it moments ago. The circular back plate rotated, so Lauren continued the movement, watching carefully for anything to happen. It rotated around once… twice… and on the third time, the back plate locked into place with a click. The button on top was also seated higher than it had been moments before, almost begging to be pressed now.

Lauren's breaths started coming faster as her excitement grew, and she couldn't stop the goosebumps from spreading across her skin. She excitedly flipped the watch over again to see if the hands had changed at all, gasping when she flipped the lid open. The hands hadn't moved, but the entire face was glowing an ethereal white.

The knowledge of Fae lore in Lauren's possession wasn't exhaustive, but she did know how to recognize some sort of mystical process when she saw one. Things that glowed or sparkled were generally pretty good indicators that something Fae was happening.

Lauren had discussed her theories of time with the Blackthorn, understanding the mathematical and physics principles behind it. By her models, if time was reversed, matter and space had to be reversed as well. So by her own rules, if it was reversed far enough, she would regress as the matter in her own body reversed its formation. She would grow younger and younger until she ceased to exist. The thought was almost as scary as dying.

According to Marcus though, the Chronos could manipulate time only, leaving space and matter intact. He seemed confident enough about it, and Lauren just hoped that he was right. After all, visiting the past or future for Fae didn't necessarily provide an adequate test. As long as their lifespans were, they could go a thousand years in the past or the future and have their bodies remain unchanged. Lauren didn't have that luxury.

If she pushed the button, and Marcus was wrong, Lauren would find herself in nonexistence. If she pushed it, and he was right… Well, she didn't really know what would happen yet. It was a mystery, and as much as Lauren hated uncertainty, she had to admit that the scientific curiosity as well as her sense of duty to the kind Fae leader was a driving force in her actions.

She held her breath, shut her eyes tightly, and pushed the button with her thumb.

Lauren didn't know what she expected to happen, but she certainly wasn't prepared for the painful sensation that tore though her body. It felt as if she were being ripped apart atom by atom, though it only lasted a brief second. Then a terrible dizziness set in, and she vaguely registered the sound of the metal watch hitting her hard floor. Everything went black. Lauren lost all sense of time, and she had no idea how many seconds or minutes had passed before the world started coming into focus again around her.

She was someplace else, that was for sure. Wherever it was, it smelled _awful_. She also realized she was sitting on something scratchy. Lauren slowly unclenched her eyelids, hoping to find out more. It was a stable, though she couldn't make out much more than that. The heavy stone walls didn't give much away as far as time or place.

The rough surface was actually dry straw, and unfortunately, she also located the source of the smell as well. There was a steaming pile of it sitting not even three feet from her. Lauren scuffled away from it as fast as she could, and as the straw rustled, there was a loud grunt from an animal behind her, causing Lauren to whip her head around in surprise. Her jaw dropped as she took in its appearance; she'd only ever seen that creature in Fae books, and there it was right in front of her.

It was a unicorn, and he did not appear pleased that there was a stranger in his stable. Lauren backed away from him as slowly as possible, hoping not to frighten him. The giant horn was ominous, and he started bucking his head around wildly and stomping his heavy hooves against the straw-covered earth. Lauren finally gave up her stealth escape plan, opting to scramble upright and run away using her feet. It was faster, though it seemed to only upset the majestic creature more. He reared up on his hind legs and let out a long, echoing neigh. It was far louder than any horse Lauren had ever heard, and she was glad that he was at least bound to his stable by a thick length of rope. Otherwise, he might have charged forward and skewered her with his horn.

Lauren took a moment to catch her breath, but she couldn't help but think: _Where the hell am I?_


	3. A Royal Arrangement

Bo was feeling a little lost while her best friend was gone. Kenzi was allowed in all the common areas of the castle, but there were certain areas she wasn't allowed to venture as an Akvan. Bo warned her about sneaking into the king's hall, but she wouldn't listen, of course. She _never_ listened.

Kenzi had been caught stealing food from there, as many cakes and pastries as she could physically cradle in her arms. They were for the important guests and supplicants to the Fae King, not for just any regular member of the community. As Bo told her earlier that day, she would have been glad to bring Kenzi whatever she wanted, but for her, Bo suspected it was the sport more than anything else that appealed to her. Breaking rules was her area of expertise, and though it often got her in trouble, it was part of the reason Bo found her so fun to be around. Life as the king's daughter was occasionally stuffy over the years. From a young age, Bo sought out the company of people outside the royal circle. She'd caught Kenzi trying to steal a pair of her shoes many years ago, and despite the awkward first meeting, they eventually became best of friends. Kenzi obviously wasn't allowed just anywhere, but she still was one of the castle's seamstresses. Bo ended up seeing her quite often throughout the day.

Or at least, she _had_ seen her often before she landed herself in the bastille overnight. Once the king, Bo's father, was available to hear her case, she was given a light punishment: two weeks of extra shifts working for their underfae groomsman, Bruce.

All things aside, it could have been worse. Bo knew that Kenzi wouldn't enjoy working outdoors (and she wasn't a fan of getting dirt or mud on her either), but she always enjoyed Bruce's company. He was an ogre, probably the most enormous Fae living in this community, but despite the reputation of his kind for their brutality, he was one of the most gentle souls around. It was one of the reasons he was so skilled at managing underfae, which often required a great deal of patience and strength. Kenzi on the other hand, didn't possess any patience whatsoever, and she didn't have enough strength to physically handle a fully grown underfae, so she probably wouldn't be of much _practical_ use to Bruce. But he did get lonely working by himself, so he would probably appreciate Kenzi's company if nothing else. Bo was sure he could find some menial task for her to work on; after all, it wasn't as if this was the first time this had happened. Kenzi had probably been sent off to work with most of the laboring Fae as punishment for her various offenses by now… A lot of good it did her.

These days, Bo's father was even giving her more responsibilities around the castle as well. It wasn't entirely unexpected as Bo was technically heir to the throne, but she'd never been so involved with the community's political workings in all her thirty years living at the castle. Her father, Trick, never mentioned anything about stepping down from the throne. Either he had secret plans to give up his kingdom, or there was a conflict brewing that had him seriously fearing for his own future. Bo witnessed enough meetings in the past few weeks to notice that there was some unrest among certain parties, but there was nothing to suggest an imminent conflict, at least not one that was as catastrophic as Trick might be letting on.

The last of Trick's political counselors left court in the early afternoon, freeing Bo from another day of endless, maddening political posturing. It was a whole lot of talking in circles, making the same arguments over and over again, and pointless power displays. The entire process was a charade, benefiting only the influential people at the top. Nothing ever seemed to get done, but they all _loved_ to hear themselves talk. Bo spent most of the time dozing off during their asinine conversations or rolling her eyes at them, and by the end of the hours long debates, she was ready to run away from the king's hall as fast as she could before she was somehow dragged back in for another round. Bo uttered her perfunctory goodbyes to her father's supplicants quickly on her way out the door, not giving any of them an opening for further conversation.

Every Fae outside made way for Bo as she hurried past them in the narrow stone hallways. That was the silver lining of being princess, she supposed: everyone recognized her, and because her family was generally well liked here at the castle, they usually went out of their way to be polite. They didn't always provide the same courtesy to the politicians at court, which allowed Bo to escape their clutches so easily after meetings. Bo weaved in and out of the familiar passages in the castle, making her way to the north end, which spilled out into the main arcade leading to the secured entrance. The heavy iron doors were left open during daytime hours, so the light poured inside, illuminating the entire entranceway with the bright sunlight.

Before she reached the doors, a stray hand closed around Bo's arm firmly and halted her egress. She glanced down, recognizing the hand instantly — more accurately, she recognized the Finarvin clan ring he sported on his finger. It was one of the courtiers in attendance today; he must have spotted Bo and finally caught up with her after she made her hasty exit. It was rather unfortunate. Bo gritted her teeth and turned around slowly, taking in the bright expression on the man's bearded face.

"Can I help you, Dyson?" Bo asked him, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

Had it been any of the others in attendance at court today, Bo probably would have told him off for the uninvited contact, but for some reason, he was a favorite of Trick's and she was obligated to show him more respect than the others. Even Bo had to follow the king's rules unfortunately. That appeared to be how life worked in this place: respect was earned by having money and, power, or by being a fearsome warrior. Dyson fit the bill on all parts, and Trick was absolutely smitten with him. He'd already granted him several more positions of power, advancing Dyson over several others who had more experience and, at least in Bo's opinion, were far more deserving.

Dyson seemed to take the lack of open hostility as an opportunity to advance, so he stepped around Bo's side until he was standing directly in front of her. He was far too close, and Bo took an involuntary step backward. He compensated by taking another step forward. They stood in the middle of the entranceway, causing a disruption in the passing traffic, and the other Fae headed through were forced to divert their paths around where they blocked the hall.

"I wanted to know if you remembered about tomorrow… your royal highness," he said with a bow of his head, searching Bo's brown eyes with his blue ones for any sign of recognition, but she continued to stare at him blankly. "The tournament?" he reminded her.

"Oh, is that tomorrow?"

Bo knew it was soon, but she wasn't able to recall the exact date. This wasn't the first time Dyson mentioned it to her, though. She wasn't particularly interested in the popular Fae sporting events, not that it kept her from having to go anyway.

"My match starts just before noon — the last in the first round," Dyson said proudly and stuck out his broad chest, knowing that the most skilled matches were scheduled later to maintain audience interest.

"Well worry not, Dyson. I will be there. Apparently I _have_ to be, according to my father."

Dyson flinched a little at the news that Bo was only going because it was mandatory and not for his own benefit. But he did offer her an appreciative, hopeful smile nonetheless. "Aye. Well, I should hope that you will cheer for _me_ above the others at the very least."

Bo shrugged. "I shouldn't see why not," she answered in a noncommittal tone.

There was no real enthusiasm in Bo's voice whatsoever, yet Dyson's eyes shone brightly and a wide smile broke out on his face as if Bo had just declared herself in from of him. She'd done no such thing, however, and she could already tell he was attributing far too much significance to Bo's attendance tomorrow. If only she was allowed to speak freely to him, she would have unleashed the sharpness of her tongue as she'd done with so many other courtiers that overstepped their boundaries with her outside of court. She'd already done that with Dyson once, years ago, and her father reprimanded her for speaking ill of him. It was tremendously unfair, and it made the situation more difficult with him now. She tried not to provide him with any hope, but there wasn't much she could do about it if he insisted on continuing to deliberately misconstrue her words and actions.

"That sounds great," Dyson's white teeth gleamed from behind his scruffy beard. "I will plan on seeing you tomorrow, then."

Bo nodded once, and took advantage of the lapse in conversation to escape before he started speaking again. The fabric from Bo's casual gown brushed along the floor as she passed over the threshold and down the stairs leading to the cobbled streets with Dyson's eyes burning into her back the entire time.

The castle was situated within the innermost of two circular stone walls, each designed to provide a layer of protection from intruders — not the human kind though, the Fae kind. It wasn't often that humans randomly ventured through here. When the castle and its surrounding city were initially erected, Trick made sure that the area was secluded as possible. Any passing humans weren't killed, but they always left the city with a certain amount of fear and a healthy amount of respect for the city overlooking the sea. As far as Bo knew, there hadn't been a human pass this way in decades. No, the only enemies that her people needed to worry about were Fae ones.

The rebellious Fae colonies interspersed _outside_ the city walls were a growing source of conflict, and they were the dominating topic of conversation at court. They didn't always agree with the edicts Trick handed down to them, though they technically were under his rule. They petitioned him of course, but Trick hadn't budged in his decisions, and now they were starting to push back with force. Every day they grew bolder, and though they weren't yet strong enough to mount a threatening offensive, one day they _might_ be. The courtiers were constantly discussing ways to dispatch the troublesome Fae before that happened.

Bo continued down the cobbled path, politely acknowledging those that waved at her on her way out, and headed over the lowered drawbridge leading away from the castle and keep and into the second walled area: the city proper. It was here that most everyone else lived. There were numerous stone houses sprawling over nearly every piece of land available. It was cramped, there was no sense of organization to the haphazard buildings that cropped up at every turn, but all of it felt like home to Bo — and in a sense, she supposed it was. The narrow street weaved in and out through the buildings, so Bo followed the familiar path that led to the main gate, to the open fields beyond.

The guards stationed at the gate let Bo pass without as much as a second thought, and most of them were sure to give her a polite wave as she passed by. Bo returned the waves before crossing over the second drawbridge, and this one led to a wide open, grassy field. This was the clearing around the castle, where the kingdom's grazing underfae were allowed to roam under supervision. The pens and stables were stationed by the ramparts along the west walls, which is where Bruce would be, and likely Kenzi too. Bo picked up her pace as she followed the slow flow of the stream around the perimeter wall.

As she expected, Bruce was busy at work, but Kenzi was nowhere in sight. He was holding up two huge bags of feed, one slung easily over each shoulder. Each probably weighed about as much as Kenzi's entire body; it was no wonder she wasn't helping him now.

"Hello, Bruce!" Bo called out to him.

The ogre's head popped up in interest, darting around until he found the source of the unexpected voice. "Bo!" he smiled brightly. "Err, your royal highness," he corrected quickly, realizing that he hadn't used her official title.

Bo shook her head at the formality. "Bruce, I've known you ever since I was old enough to walk. How many times do I have to tell you to just call me 'Bo'?"

He chuckled, a deep throaty sound that suited his large body. "At least once more, I'm sure."

Bo smiled back at him, shaking her head at his stubbornness. Speaking of stubborn… "Where's Kenzi off to?" Bo asked.

"I sent her to the smithy to pick up the shoes I bought for Jax. Poor bloke has just about worn through the one's he's got, and all the rocks here aren't exactly helping matters. He's going to be wearing down his hooves if I don't get some new ones on him soon."

Bo nodded. Jax was one of Bruce's prized unicorns. He'd rescued several strays from the surrounding forest, as they were often hunted down for their magical horns and tails. Jax was a magnificent beast though, probably the largest one Bo had ever seen, and his all white coat shone more brightly than any other in existence. Bruce definitely fawned over him more than he usually did his other creatures.

"How long ago was that?" Bo asked. She couldn't tell the exact time, but the sun was starting to get low enough in the sky that the end of her workday was probably near. And Bo knew that Kenzi would never get caught working a single minute longer than necessary.

"Probably about an hour ago." Bruce's brows furrowed together. "To be honest, I would have expected her back by now."

"I'm sure she just got distracted by something. You know how she gets sometimes."

"Aye, isn't that the truth?" Bruce chuckled.

"Don't worry about her then. I'll go look for her."

"You sure?"

Bo nodded. "Absolutely." She stepped forward to pass Bruce, and on the way, she patted his shoulder. "I'll let her know her presence was sorely missed."

There was no obvious evidence of Kenzi around her usual haunts like Bruce's shed, or the by the troughs. It was only when Bo reached the stables at the farthest end of the west wall that she saw a telltale sign of her best friend. There were a pair of tiny feet sticking out from behind the stable, barely visible from the worn path. Bo smiled to herself before stepping off into the tall grass to approach her.

In typical fashion, she wasn't working at all. Instead, she leaned against the wall with a burlap bag of apples in her lap and a pile of cores stacked next to her. Kenzi was far too busy chewing the crispy fruit; she never even heard Bo's approach.

"I see you're working hard today," Bo said. Kenzi jumped at the sound, causing the bag to fall from her lap. She looked at Bo with a guilty expression, and Bo simply leaned into the stone wall of the stable with a knowing smirk on her face. "You hungry?"

Kenzi fumbled around for the bag, reaching her hand inside quickly and pulling out a single, bright red apple. The bag went flat after Kenzi removed it, and it was clearly the last one left. "I saved one for you," Kenzi said, holding it up toward Bo, who looked on in amusement.

"No you didn't," Bo chuckled. If Bo hadn't interrupted her, she would undoubtedly eaten the entire bag. Bo took the proffered apple nonetheless though, and took a small bite. "But thank you anyway."

Kenzi scrambled to her feet and dusted herself off while Bo continued eating. "I guess since you're here, it's quitting time then. If we hurry, we might get back before dinner."

Bo raised a single eyebrow at her. "Who said anything about _you_ leaving?"

"Oh don't be such a piss ball, succubus." Kenzi grabbed at the apple Bo was about to bring up to her mouth, taking a bite for herself before shoving it back in Bo's hands. "Everyone else might put up with your shit because your daddy's the king, but not me."

It was true, in a way. Everyone bent to accommodate Bo at every turn (even when she asked them not to), but Kenzi did no such thing. She gave Bo the sense of normalcy that she craved, a rarity for someone in her position. Bo wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world — even if she ate enough to feed a family of six ravenous ogres and had a penchant for stealing. That was all just a part of the whole Kenzi.

"Did you actually get those horseshoes for Bruce?" Bo asked.

"Yep, I left them inside." Kenzi pointed her thumb toward the stables next to them.

As soon as Kenzi pointed, a loud noise erupted from inside the stable, and both Bo and Kenzi instantly recognized the sound. They looked back at each other and uttered in unison: "Jax."

Jax was usually calm and well mannered, at least around people he recognized. On occasion, he didn't take to strangers very well, but that was only if he was spooked. The sound of the neigh was unmistakably distressed though, and there had to be something wrong for him to make such a noise. Bo had never heard anything quite like it, and the sound carried so well that Bruce must have heard it from across the field as well.

Without another word, Kenzi and Bo rushed inside to investigate. Jax was rearing up on his hind legs and kicking wildly with the ones in front. Bo approached him carefully, making sure to avoid the flailing hooves as they returned to the ground with a huge thud. His withers stood at the same level as Bo's eyes, and she had to reach up to grab the bit of rope attached to the bit in his mouth. She gently tugged at it to get his attention.

"Shh… Shh… Everything is fine Jax," Bo said in her most soothing voice. His panicked muscles were still twitching, but he hadn't reared back again, so Bo used her other hand to stroke the side of his thick neck gently. He slowly relaxed and stilled at Bo's ministrations. "See? All better now."

"Uh… Bo?" Kenzi's voice sounded from behind her, causing Bo to turn around.

"What is it, Kenzi?"

Kenzi didn't answer with words. Her head turned away so her eyes were focused on a point along the far wall, someplace Bo couldn't see because of the stable divider blocking her vision. Kenzi raised her arm slowly, pointing to some unseen point. Bo frowned and patted Jax's shoulder a couple of more times before slowly stepping outside to stand by Kenzi's side. Her eyes tracked Kenzi's finger to the far wall, and Bo gasped when she saw the figure huddled up against the far wall and took an involuntary step backward.

"Who — who are you?" Bo stammered much more loudly than necessary.

Bo hadn't meant for her voice to sound so harsh when it came it out. She was just startled, and it was a reflexive response on her end. Whoever the woman on the far wall was, she appeared even more scared than Bo had been, and at her loud voice, she cowered even lower against the wall. There was obviously no real threat, and Bo took a deep breath to calm her overexcited nerves. It worked, her heart wasn't thudding quite so hard against her chest now.

Slowly and carefully, Bo took a few tentative steps toward the unexpected visitor. She didn't flinch or run away from Bo's movements, so Bo pressed on alone, while Kenzi watched on with wide eyes.

Her appearance was certainly strange, Bo realized as every step brought her a little closer. She was wearing pants, firstly. It wasn't that pants were unheard of among women — Bo had a few pairs herself — but they were worn primarily for work or for sport, like when Bo used hers for horseback riding. She never wore them for court, for instance. Not only was this woman wearing pants, they were so _tight_ and were made of some odd material Bo had never seen before. The shirt was just as puzzling; there was no way that it was sewn by any person here. Kenzi was probably the most skilled seamstress in the city, and even she couldn't have managed to replicate the clothes in front of her.

Bo closed the last bit of distance between them and knelt down to the other woman's level. Her light brown eyes regarded Bo with fear, and suddenly Bo felt ashamed of her response earlier. She was a stranger, certainly, but she didn't have any ill intent as far as Bo could tell.

"What's your name?" Bo asked her as gently as she could.

The blonde woman in front of her swallowed thickly. "L-Lauren. Lauren Lewis."

"I'm Bo." She turned slightly to motion over her shoulder, where Kenzi was still standing in stunned silence. "And that's Kenzi."

Lauren nodded, looking down toward the ground in front of her. She was still frightened, Bo could tell, but she was a little more at ease than she'd been mere seconds ago. She was really quite beautiful, Bo noticed now that she'd dismissed her as a threat. Her strong jawline and expressive brown eyes were attractive, and Bo allowed herself to appreciate them while the other woman wasn't looking. Her eyes flashed blue for a split second when they drifted down to the pants hugging her skin. Bo had to squeeze them shut for a moment while she forced them back to their usual dark brown.

"You know, I'm surprised you made it past the sentries without being noticed," Bo told Lauren once she regained control of her succubus. "How did you get inside?"

Lauren opened her mouth as if to answer, but her voice caught in her throat. Bo noticed how her eyes flitted over her shoulders in the distance, so she followed her gaze toward the stable entrance, noticing Bruce approaching in a panic. Lauren clearly wasn't from here and was afraid enough as it was. Bruce wouldn't hurt a soul, Bo knew, but his appearance might terrify someone that didn't know him. Not to mention, Bo didn't word to spread around about Lauren yet, at least not until she'd spoken with her first.

"Come on," Bo whispered. She reached forward, grabbing Lauren's arms and pulling her to her feet before leading her inside the last stable and out of sight. Luckily, it was completely empty. Bo emerged a second later, leaving Lauren hidden behind the divider.

"Bo, Kenzi…" Bruce said worriedly. "What happened?"

"We were just outside when it happened," Bo answered, coming back to where her best friend and the groomsman were standing. "Something must have spooked him. Jax calmed right down when we came in, and it doesn't look like there's anything in here that would've scared him."

Bruce glanced down the long row of stables where Bo just returned from and nodded. He stepped forward to Jax, offering him a handful of treats from his pocket. Jax nuzzled his hand happily while Bruce pet his head.

"The wind sometimes makes loud noises when it blows through the eaves a certain way," Bruce said to himself. "I heard it once, and it nearly scared me out of my own skin. That must have been what it was." Jax finished with the treats and bumped his nose playfully against Bruce's wide chest.

"I guess it's as good an explanation as any," Bo replied.

Bruce turned to look at Bo and Kenzi seriously. "Thank you both for taking care of him and calming him down for me." Jax really was like a child to Bruce in a lot of ways; he was definitely protective enough of him.

"It was no problem."

Bruce sighed deeply. "I've got to finish up at the shed, but can you two make sure the doors get locked up tightly when you leave?"

Bo nodded. "Of course."

Kenzi continued to stand by speechless, but as soon as Bruce left the stables, she rounded on Bo. "What are you doing?!" she hissed quietly. "You know damn well how Jax got spooked, and she's hiding in the last stable!"

Her best friend was getting worked up, Bo knew. It wasn't unexpected, so Bo placed a hand on her shoulder in a calming gesture. "Just let me talk to her first, all right?" Bo asked. Kenzi huffed in response, but she didn't refuse, a fact that Bo noticed all too clearly. "Thanks, Kenzi."

"I don't like this," Kenzi muttered under her breath as Bo walked back to the last stable where Lauren was hidden.

She hadn't budged since Bo left her there; her back was still pressed flat against the wall, and she was still trembling just as much as before. Bo cleared her throat softly to grab Lauren's attention. Her head turned to the sound instantly, and this time as Bo approached, Lauren didn't draw back in fear.

"Nobody is going to hurt you," Bo promised her. "Can you tell me how you got here? Or perhaps where you came from?"

Lauren hesitated, looking around uneasily. Was she still afraid of Bo for some reason? Bo couldn't fathom why, but she couldn't come up with any other reason why she'd be so jittery still.

"I don't know how I got here," Lauren said after several long moments. She closed her eyes and rested the back of head against the sturdy stone divider.

"So where did you come from?" Bo asked just as gently, taking a step closer.

Lauren's eyes drifted back open, and she locked eyes with Bo for a moment. Her voice was barely audible as she said: "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

The answer was strange enough, but there was something else about Lauren that sat oddly with Bo — something she couldn't quite identify. She tilted her head to the side as she regarded Lauren curiously. Her aura was bright, _blinding_ in fact, but there was something distinctly different about it. It struck a memory somewhere, but Bo was having trouble recalling the exact event. Whatever it was, it had happened a long time ago. When it finally came to her, Bo inhaled sharply, and the sudden sound caused Lauren to blink in surprise.

"You're _human_," Bo mused.

"I am."

"Humans don't come here," Bo shook her head, unable to comprehend why or even how Lauren got here. Had she been some type of stealthy Fae that could blend themselves in with the environment, she might have slipped on the city grounds completely unnoticed. But a human wouldn't have been able to do that, especially not a human dressed as conspicuously as Lauren was. "Humans _can't_ come here… How?…"

"Like I said, I don't know how it happened."

Bo and Lauren stood at the same height, each searching the other with their eyes, each hoping for some sort of explanation from the other, but neither of them knowing where to begin.

"Where are you going to go?" Bo asked.

There was no human settlement for miles and miles, and she didn't think Lauren would fare too well traveling on her own, not with vicious outlaw Fae roaming through the surrounding forest. It was dangerous enough to travel for a Fae traveling in a group with ten to fifteen others. For a lone human, it was tantamount to a death sentence.

"I don't —" Lauren shook her head and her voice grew small again, "— I don't know where I'm supposed to go."

It was heartbreaking. Bo had only seen one other human during her years at the castle, and needless to say they weren't exactly treated with respect. The goal in their treatment was to deter them from ever coming back, so the Fae charged with that task made it happen, some enjoying it far more than they should. Humans were released from here with a full repertoire of horror stories to tell their friends and family, making it unlikely they would ever return. Bo shuddered to think what was done to them. She didn't know, nor did she want to. If Lauren tried leaving and was caught by the sentries or the regular patrol around the grounds, she would likely face a similar fate.

Bo couldn't let that happen.

"Come on," Bo told her, grasping her hand and pulling her from the wall. "You're coming with me."

Lauren made a surprised noise, but she didn't protest as Bo pulled her away from the stable. She marched their human visitor to where Kenzi was standing with a thunderstruck expression on her face. She didn't approve, Bo realized, but there wasn't any other option.

"Bo…" Kenzi warned her, shaking her head slowly at the same time. "You know I love you, but this is seriously _not_ a good idea." She eyed Lauren's strange clothing warily.

"Kenzi, this is Lauren." Kenzi's skeptical glare didn't stop, so Bo continued. "Lauren is human."

Kenzi's stare became less accusing, but she still gave Bo a pleading look. She knew where Kenzi's uneasiness was coming from, even though she didn't necessarily agree. If they helped Lauren, they were putting themselves at risk. However, if they just let her fend for herself, she'd likely face something far worse, the type of punishment that people never really recovered from. Bo could deal with getting a stern reprimand from her father; she'd done so numerous times in the past. But she wouldn't have an innocent woman's torture on her conscience.

"We're going to help her, Kenz," Bo said when Kenzi didn't respond. Silence hung over them for several moments. Lauren looked confusedly back and forth between Bo and Kenzi while they stared each other down.

"Bo?" Kenzi replied, far too sweetly to be completely innocent. "May I have a word in private, please?"

Bo nodded, and Kenzi gave Lauren a falsely apologetic look before grabbing Bo by the arm roughly and dragging her out of the stable, leaving the human behind them. The afternoon sun warmed their skin, but for some reason, Bo couldn't enjoy it yet. They barely made it beyond the doorway when Kenzi's palm slapped against Bo's arm. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, just enough to get her attention.

"What the _hell_ are you doing, Bo?" Kenzi scolded her.

Bo rubbed the spot on her arm even though it didn't hurt. "What are you talking about?"

"Lauren." Her voice was far too loud, and Bo was sure that it was carrying back inside the stable where Lauren was still standing. "What is that about?"

"She needs our help, Kenzi."

"Really?" Kenzi's eyebrows raised high, almost touching the windswept black hair on her forehead. "And how did you deduce that, pray tell?"

"Look, it's hard to explain, Kenzi," Bo said exasperatedly. If she was going to help Lauren, she needed Kenzi's help, so she had to convince her the Lauren meant them no harm. "I know she looks a little…" Bo didn't know how to describe Lauren at the moment, but she licked her lips at the memory of the tight pants she was wearing, "… out of place, but there's no way she got here on her own. And there's no way she could make it out of here without getting caught. If she's going to get back home, wherever that is, she's not going to make it unless we help her. I thought that _you_ of all people would understand her situation."

Kenzi's head perked up a bit higher at Bo's words. They'd struck a nerve, and if Bo was being honest with herself, she'd meant them to. Akvans weren't tortured and punished the same way that wayward humans were, but they certainly weren't able to enjoy all the same benefits that Fae life offered. They were born of Fae parents, but for whatever reason, their Fae abilities never manifested. There was no concern for secrecy because they were already so entrenched with the world by the time they reached adulthood, like Kenzi, but they were outcasted from society as long as they remained without powers. There were rare legends where Akvans found their powers much later, but most of the ones at this castle had been rendered powerless for centuries with not a single display of their Fae-given ability.

Most Akvans didn't mention their status around Fae. If they could, they kept it as secret as possible, lest they be treated even worse than usual. For all of Kenzi's bravado, she did the same thing when confronted with the reality of her kind. It didn't affect the way Bo viewed her at all, but others weren't always so kind. That's why it was so surprising that Kenzi was objecting so vehemently now. If _anyone_ should have understood, it should have been her.

"Look, Bo-Bo, I get it," Kenzi said after a long pause. Her tone was gentler, almost placating. "You've always had that thing — that _need_ to help other people. I love that about you, by the way. But this is different, and you know it."

Bo shook her head. "It's not."

"It is though. Because this time, if you mess it up, it's not just you that will be left with a sour taste in their stomachs. What do you think they'd do to Lauren if she were caught _inside_ the castle — if you were hiding her right under their noses?"

"It's not going to be a permanent arrangement," Bo argued. "All I have to is find a way to get her out of the city safely, and then that'll be the end of it."

Kenzi narrowed her eyes at Bo. "You sure about that?"

"Of course."

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into," Kenzi sighed, though there wasn't any fight left in her voice. It was a simple warning, but she had finally conceded the point.

"I do."

"And how do you plan on making her — I don't know — a little less _obvious_?"

There were certain Fae that would be able to sense Lauren's humanity, some like Bo had done and others with their more visceral senses. Some had particularly keen noses, and while they might not recognize the human scent, per se, they would definitely realize she wasn't Fae. That might just be enough to get them caught, and Bo couldn't have that happen. She had to steer Lauren clear of those problematic Fae.

What Kenzi was likely referring to, however, was Lauren's attire. She definitely wouldn't have blended in once she passed into the city walls, and she'd attract far too much attention. They had to help her appear like any other usual citizen, and that meant she needed new clothes

Bo eyed Kenzi curiously. "You've got on an extra layer, don't you?"

Kenzi caught onto Bo's suggestion instantly, and her eyes grew wide in protest. "Oh no. No, no, no, no…" Kenzi slowly backed away. "This was _your_ idea, you can give up your own damned clothes!"

"I've only got on this and the chemise underneath," Bo explained to her. "Besides, everyone at court today would notice if I came back and Lauren was wearing the clothes I had on a few hours ago." Bo gave her a pleading look. "Please, Kenzi?"

Kenzi stared pointedly at the grass, avoiding eye contact with her best friend. She couldn't keep ignoring her forever though, and after only a few seconds, her bright blue eyes glanced up again to meet Bo's. It didn't take long before she finally caved under her best friends imploring expression.

"Fine," Kenzi grumbled. "But you owe me. You owe me _so_ much."

"I'll bring you a hot blackberry pie from the kitchen," Bo smirked. "I know that one's your favorite."

"Hmph. Five pies or the deal's off," Kenzi retorted. "Take it or leave it, succubus."

"Deal." Bo grinned widely. "You're the best, Kenz."

"Just remember that when I have to say 'I told you so,'" Kenzi muttered, mostly to herself.

After the end of their conversation, Kenzi led them both back in the stable. Lauren wasn't where they left her. She had moved and was now standing next to Jax, stroking his smooth neck. The giant unicorn had his eyes half-closed, as if he were growing sleepy at the gentle sensations. He and Lauren had apparently made up since earlier when she panicked him. He hadn't made a single noise the entire time Bo and Kenzi were outside.

"I see Jax made a new friend," Bo teased, causing Lauren to look up sheepishly. She didn't stop petting him as Bo stepped forward next to her.

"Bo, I know that you want to help me," Lauren said, "but from what you were saying, it sounds like my being here could cause problems for you and your friend. I don't want either of you getting in trouble on account of me."

Bo looked at her seriously. "If you heard Kenzi and I talking outside, then you also heard that it would be far more dangerous for you if went off by yourself. If you went out of here alone, and something bad happened to you…" Bo trailed off, glancing at her feet as she toed at the fresh straw in the stable. "I don't think I'd even be able to look at myself in the mirror," she finished softly.

Lauren's hand stilled on Jax's neck, and a heavy pause sat between them both. Bo searched her face, looking for some sort of response, but Lauren's expression was completely unreadable. She was either emoting nothing, or it was a practiced facade; Bo suspected the latter.

"Are you sure, Bo?" Lauren whispered.

Bo nodded. "Do you trust me?" she asked, not really sure how Lauren would respond. She'd showed a tremendous amount of faith in Bo already, especially for a human, but she had no idea whether that was from fear or a legitimate feeling of trust.

"Yes."

Bo took a deep, steadying breath. "We're going to take you back to the castle," she explained. "But first, we need to get you some new clothes. Yours don't exactly…"

"They don't really fit in?" Lauren finished for her, a small grin playing at the corner of her mouth.

"Something like that." Bo chuckled. "If you want, you can change in one the empty stalls. I'll hand you something to put on in a minute."

Lauren agreed, disappearing behind one of the stone dividers yet again. Jax stomped around a bit once she left, irritated now that nobody was paying him any attention, so Bo gave him a quick pat on the nose to appease him. She made a note of which stall Lauren was in before leaving to find Kenzi, who still did not look amused. Not at all.

Kenzi said: "You know, I've never had a woman get me into my underwear before. This better not be a regular thing, Bo. Next time, this is _your_ responsibility."

Unlike Lauren, Kenzi didn't even bother finding an empty stall before removing her clothes. There was nothing that Bo hadn't seen before, yet it was odd seeing her out in the open, wearing only her thin, knee-length chemise. She bunched up the loosely fitting work kirtle before thrusting it into Bo's waiting arms. Kenzi pulled the outer dress back over her head quickly, shaking out her black hair over the back. She was probably the only person Bo knew that could tie up the back of their own dress. Kenzi contorted her arms to lace it up, pulling tightly on the eyelets and dexterously looping the cord into a neat tie. Her white chemise appeared identical underneath, like she hadn't removed a single article of clothing.

"Are you planning on giving that to Lauren?" Kenzi asked jokingly. "Or are you going to keep admiring me? I know there's a lot here to like, but they _do_ draw the bridges up at sundown, Bo."

Bo cleared her throat loudly, clutching the fabric tighter in her hands. "Fine. I'm going."

Lauren was in the sixth empty stall, Bo remembered… Or was it the fifth? Now that Bo was approaching, she couldn't recall which one Lauren stepped behind. They all looked just about the same, the only differences were which animals were held inside, but right now, most were completely empty.

"Lauren?" Bo offered, continuing to approach slowly. She didn't want to intrude on her, so she tried finding her using her voice before just walking in unexpected.

The blonde's voice came from behind a wall a few stalls down. "In here."

Bo spotted it instantly, and she held out the used garment in the air for Lauren to grab, making sure to keep her own body behind the diving wall. She stayed there even after Lauren took it. The sounds of rustling straw and fabric filled Bo's senses while she changed, but slowly they faded into silence again. She must have been finished, yet she stayed put.

"Bo?" Lauren's voice sounded from one stall over.

Bo tried not to sound too eager. "Yes?"

"Can you help me for a minute?"

Bo stepped around into the adjacent stall slowly. Lauren was fully covered, but the back of the informal dress hung loose and untied. She looked up at Bo with slight embarrassment, and a blush rose up to her cheeks.

"I couldn't tie the back by myself," she announced unnecessarily.

"I can do it for you," Bo said softly. "Let me see?"

Lauren shifted her position, allowing Bo access to the open back of her dress. Bo held her breath as she took in the sight of Lauren's bare back. It was neither the time or the place to let her inner succubus get excited, and just like her mother taught her, she consciously slowed her breaths to calm her body's natural response before reaching up to sweep Lauren's hair to the side. Lauren stayed impossibly still while Bo's fingers ghosted over the smooth skin of her back. Her bows might not have been as perfect as Kenzi's were, but they were spaced evenly and held secure.

"There," Bo said once she'd finished.

"Thanks," Lauren replied. She bent down to gather her previous clothing in her arms, and she gave Bo a shy smile. "This feels a little different than what I'm used to."

Bo smiled back at her. "I'll bet. You ready to go?"

Lauren nodded, clutching her clothes a little tighter to her chest. Before Bo, Kenzi and Lauren headed back through the main gates, they needed to do something about the strange attire Lauren was carrying with her. They'd garner too much suspicion from random passers by. Kenzi seemed to have the same idea, and she returned a moment later from outside, carrying the empty burlap sack she'd used earlier to carry her apples. Kenzi threw Lauren's clothes inside, one item at a time. First the pants, then the shirt, then the shoes… The only pieces left were small, and Lauren seemed more hesitant to hand them over. Kenzi had no such reservations, and she snatched at them hastily.

"What's this?" Kenzi held the first one up curiously.

It was unlike anything she or Bo had ever seen before, and its shape was odd. Lauren was blushing furiously and simply buried her face in the palm of her hand. After some manipulation on Kenzi's part, she straightened the garment out, holding up in the air as she appraised it. Now that it had some semblance of a shape, its function became clear to both Bo and Kenzi all at once.

"Oh my," Kenzi said.

Bo's dumbfounded response came a split second later. "Wow."

Lauren pulled it swiftly from Kenzi's hands, throwing it in the bag with the rest of her clothes. "It's called a bra," she muttered.

There was still one thing that had yet to make it to the bag, and Kenzi backed away from Lauren's grabbing hands to take a closer look at it. The purpose of this one was less obvious; there wasn't much material to it, and no matter which way Kenzi turned it, the shiny sliver of black silk didn't seem to make much sense. Bo hadn't seen Lauren wearing this earlier, so what was it for?

Kenzi was still having difficulties, so Bo relieved her of the garment, trying to straighten it out herself. Lauren simply watched in horror and looked as if she wanted a hole to open up in the earth and swallow her in one piece. Bo eventually removed the many twists Kenzi somehow managed to introduce, yet it still didn't look like anything wearable, so she gave Lauren a curious expression.

"Lauren?" Bo said. She didn't need to ask the question. It was clear from the inflection in her voice what she wanted to know.

Bo had never seen anyone's face so red before. Lauren didn't _say_ anything in response to her question, however. She took a single step forward and pressed Bo's arms down, further and further until each of her hands was settled on either side of her hip. With one edge of the fabric in each of her hands, suddenly the shape made more sense. Though if it was what Bo was suspecting, the distinct lack of fabric... _Oh my god_, she thought. Kenzi seemed to make the connection at exactly the same time.

"Shit," Kenzi whispered.

Bo's mouth dropped open, and she couldn't help it when her eyes flashed bright, bright blue. Just the thought of Lauren wearing this, especially along with the "bra" from earlier was far too much. Slow breaths weren't making her eyes turn back to brown this time, and the room started spinning a little bit.

Lauren noticed the change as well. She didn't seem frightened by it, which was surprising for a human. Yet she somehow knew to not come any closer just yet — not until Bo was completely in control.

"Bo-Bo?" Kenzi's voice was filled with trepidation as she watched her clearly struggling friend. She grabbed the skimpy undergarment from Bo's trembling hands, throwing it in quickly with the others in the bag and out of sight. "Are you all right?"

No answer came, but Bo squeezed her eyes closed tightly for what felt like several minutes. Kenzi and Lauren stood by awkwardly, neither of them knowing what to do to offer Bo any support. Her body was stiff and rigid; it was almost as if she might lash out at any second. She remained still though, and after several long, painful moments, she reopened her eyes, showing off their usual dark brown color. Both Bo and Kenzi let out a giant sigh of relief.

"That was…" Bo trailed off and shook her head, trying to clear the mental images etched into her memory, "… that was a rush."

"Let's not try that again right now, Bo-Bo." Kenzi gave Lauren a mischievous smirk. "We still have to get the princess and her princess back to the castle, remember?"

It was only after the reminder that Bo snapped out of her reverie. She glanced back up at Lauren, smiling guiltily at the visions that were just playing in her head, all of them involving the blonde and that black silk — well, _whatever_ that thing was. It would definitely be wrong to ask Lauren to try it on, and she had to consciously fight the images that were threatening to resurface again.

"You ready to go?" Bo asked, mostly to distract herself.

Lauren nodded and stepped forward to pick up her bag. Bo and Kenzi flanked her at either side as they went out. The blonde's eyes were darting everywhere, taking in every aspect of the landscape as if she'd never seen it before now. Bo watched her wonderingly from the corner of her vision.

Kenzi broke the silence first: "All right, let's set a couple of rules here first, Lauren. Me and Bo are both taking a risk for you, so try not to ruin it, all right?" Bo was about to scold her for being rude, but Lauren didn't seem bothered by what she said in the slightest.

"That's perfectly reasonable, Kenzi. What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"First of all, don't talk to anybody, unless you ask me or Bo first. You don't know anybody, so you don't know who you can trust yet."

"I can do that," Lauren nodded. "Anything else?"

Kenzi grasped Lauren's arm to get her attention. She looked at Lauren seriously. "If someone finds out that you're human, you _run_, Lauren. Get away — find me — find Bo — preferably Bo, now that I'm thinking about it. But don't let anyone catch you in here. Trust me."

Kenzi's eyes were full of warning, and Bo was thankful that she at least appreciated the seriousness of Lauren's situation. She might not be privy to all the hideous details as Bo was, but Kenzi understood that being a human within these walls was a dangerous risk. Bo would try her damnedest to keep Lauren safe, as she promised. Still, the blonde needed to be aware of perils she could possibly face here.

"We'll figure this out, Lauren," Bo assured her, suffusing her voice with as much reassurance as she could.

Nobody spoke much as they walked around the ramparts on the west wall. Bruce tilted his head curiously in the distance as they walked past, noting that there were now three women trudging along the worn grass path, while there had only been two previously. Kenzi waved animatedly to dispel his suspicion. It actually worked; Bruce waved back before returning to his previous task.

None of the Fae at the gate recognized Lauren obviously, so she drew a few inquisitive looks as they passed the sentry's station. In Bo's presence, nobody questioned her though, and they passed through without incident. Kenzi played her part perfectly. Though she was an Akvan, she had a decent rapport with most of the Fae stationed at the gate. She deflected the unwanted attention from Lauren by being her usual talkative self. Lauren was still staring wide eyed at the sight of the city. For someone who'd never seen it before, it was quite the sight, Bo realized proudly. She reached down, grasping Lauren's hand in her own and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Come on," Bo whispered in her ear, unable to stop herself from grinning. "Wait until you see the actual castle."

The three of them navigated the city streets easily, Bo and Kenzi leading them down the familiar path they'd walked since their childhoods. Lauren never let go of Bo's hand as she weaved in and out of the crowd of people. Before they reached the second wall, however, Kenzi stopped them. This was her stop, so to speak. Her tiny house was a few streets over, and this is where she left the main road.

Goodbyes were uttered, even between Kenzi and Lauren, who seemed to be slowly acclimating to each other's presence. Bo was expecting her to leave after that, as she usually did. She definitely _wasn't_ expecting Kenzi to pull her into a bone crushing hug. Before she let go, Kenzi pressed a quick kiss against Bo's cheek.

"Please be careful, Bo," she breathed into Bo's ear, loud enough for only her to hear. She let go suddenly, and Bo nodded back to her in response. After theatrically blowing kisses in Bo and Lauren's direction, Kenzi disappeared onto the weaving side streets and into the crowd.

Though Lauren was clearly fascinated by the city itself, she had yet to see the jewel of the kingdom. Bo pulled at her hand insistently, trying to get her to the second gate quickly. As they passed over the second bridge and emerged on the other side, Lauren let out an audible gasp.

The castle sat on top of a hill at the middle of the circular section of land. It reached high into the sky, as only the most important buildings did. Behind the aesthetically pleasing castle was the sturdy keep. It was mostly out of sight, but since it was wider the castle itself, it jutted out on the edges. Among its other uses, it also served to make the castle seem even larger than it actually was. There was no real need for that though — it was already the biggest castle in the country. From Bo's room in the tower, she could even see the ocean that sat behind the keep.

"This is incredible," Lauren whispered. She apparently didn't realize she said it, because she flinched at the sound of her own voice.

Bo squeezed her hand again. "Let's go."

This would the most difficult part. There were more than a few Fae that frequented the castle who would be able to discern Lauren's humanity. Bo knew who they were, but there was no telling _if_ they were here, and more importantly, there was no telling _where_ they would be in the castle if they were here. The closed, winding hallways were not conducive to sneaking a human into the castle. At any time, she and Lauren could emerge within arm's length of one of these dangerous Fae. Bo was being as careful as possible, keeping Lauren close by and walking slightly in front of her to shield her body from any oncoming foes.

They ascended the spiral tower stairwell, leading to Bo's room. They emerged in a giant rounded hallway, and from here, it was just a matter of following the circular hallway to the other side of the tower.

"Bo? Is that you?" A deep voice sounded from down the stairs.

Bo froze, and a chill ran down her spine.

Unfortunately, she knew that voice. She would have avoided it on a regular day, but now, it was absolutely imperative that she escaped from it. That voice belonged to Dyson, and with his keen wolf senses, he would be able to smell that Lauren wasn't Fae in a matter of seconds. Bo's scent might throw him off, but if he got close enough, there was nothing she could do to protect Lauren from him. The whole castle would hear about the human's presence within the hour.

"Run!" Bo hissed.

Lauren seemed to be primed and ready to take off before Bo even said a word. She must have sensed the danger the second she heard Dyson's voice. Lauren was unnervingly fast, and Bo struggled to keep up with her. She eventually caught up as they rounded the corner. They were passing in and out of the late afternoon sunlight spilling inside from the numerous hallway windows. It was a beautiful view, and had the circumstances been different, Bo would have shown Lauren the view of the vast ocean breaking over the cliffs below. But with Dyson's heavy footsteps sounding behind them, it was out of the question.

Bo vaguely registered him calling out to her again, but neither her nor Lauren stopped running. The heavy door to Bo's quarters was within sight. Just a bit further…

Bo slammed her body into the heavy oak door to fling it open. Lauren didn't wait to be invited inside. She hurried behind the door, and together she and Bo pushed the stout door closed again, lifting up the thick wooden plank serving as a lock and sliding it into place. Bo and Lauren leaned against its smooth surface, both of them breathing hard but trying to remain as quiet as possible.

"Is something wrong, Bo?" Dyson asked. From the disappointed tone in his voice, Bo could tell he was upset she'd run from him. His voice sounded from a distance, however, as if he'd stopped giving chase when the bedroom door shut.

Unfortunately, Bo couldn't just ignore him. He'd noticed her presence, and in all likelihood, he wouldn't leave until she acknowledged him.

"I'm just tired, Dyson," Bo called loudly through the door. "I'm not taking any visitors tonight."

There were a few muffled words on the other side which Bo couldn't make out clearly. Silence followed, and neither she nor Lauren budged while they waited with their backs against the door, bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder with each other. With each passing minute of deafening silence, it became more and more obvious that Dyson actually left, yet neither of them were willing to be the one to break the silence.

Bo and Lauren turned their heads to glance at each other curiously. They were close — far too close — and with the proximity, Bo could see little flecks of light reflecting in Lauren's eyes that looked like stars. Lauren was gazing just as deeply into Bo's eyes. It felt like forever that they stood there, frozen in the same position.

The spell broke suddenly though. For some reason, at exactly the same moment, Bo and Lauren broke out in fit of giggles. There wasn't anything particularly funny about what just happened, but the release in tension was definitely needed. Bo laughed until tears started falling, and Lauren was wiping at her eyes as well by the time they were done. Both of them were utterly spent.

"If you want to wash, there's a bathing room next door," Bo said. "You can put on some fresh clothes as well, since Kenzi was wearing those all day."

Lauren glanced at Bo with some type of emotion she couldn't quite place. Bo had never seen it before. Her eyes were expressive, and Bo was certain she was going to say something significant. For some reason, it caused her stomach to flutter — it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Lauren didn't launch into a long winded spiel, however.

"Thank you, Bo."

Bo held her breath as she stepped forward, and let it out all at once when Lauren's shoulder brushed against hers as she passed. Lauren glanced over her shoulder once before she disappeared next door. Bo flung her body across her soft mattress, staring into the ceiling and sighing contentedly.

If there was one thing Bo was sure of today, it was that one way or another, she was definitely going to be in trouble with Lauren Lewis.


	4. Hail the Victor

Lauren dawdled much longer than necessary in the washroom, so long that the sun finally dipped below the horizon, leaving only a faint glow in its wake. The bath water was probably warm when it was brought up to the tower earlier today, but as there was no central heating, it had assumed room temperature by the time she was using it. Even so, the scented soap did a number for Lauren's skin. By the time she emerged from the wash room, she was as clean and fresh as she was on a regular basis at her own apartment — one that oddly enough, didn't exist at the moment.

The doctor was aware before pressing the watch's button that time would essentially be reversed around her while she remained unaffected. She just had no idea how far back she would go, much less where she would end up. Lauren knew some Fae history, at least the history of the clans, but prior to that, there wasn't much documented in the Light Fae archives or their online databases. The mere fact that there hadn't been a single mention of either clan made Lauren suspicious that she was currently residing in a time before the Light and the Dark were even created, something that the Blackthorn suggested had been a terrible mistake. _A bad peace_, he'd called it.

That meant there was still an opportunity to rectify the king's decision, which made enough sense. But Lauren hadn't the slightest clue how to do that, not when merely showing her face in public here might get her killed.

The Blackthorn had been particularly vague in his instructions, a fact Lauren actually knew prior to beginning her task. Yet it hadn't seemed like such a purposefully glaring omission until now, when she'd surfaced in an era hostile to humans. He had the benefit of already knowing the future and the past, knowing what truly needed to be done but telling the specifics no one. Lauren had to believe that there was some reason he'd been withholding — some reason he _hadn't_ shared all the pertinent details of the task with her. Until Lauren found out what that was, she could only guess or try and figure out how to complete the task herself.

Ironically, Lauren had always been a person that thrived on having all the information she needed before committing to a decision. Every potential consequence was measured. Every step was clearly mapped out in a sequential list. It was organized and sensible, but above all else, there was a higher chance of actually succeeding in what she set out to do. Lauren never worked like she was now — with a lack of information or without some sort of plan.

No amount of reflecting on her difficulties would help solve her current problem though. Lauren was surprised to find herself alone when she emerged from the wash room, yet there were clear signs of Bo's recent presence. Several candles mounted in the wall sconces were lit, and she'd left a pristine linen gown folded on the decorative wooden stool at the foot of her bed, presumably for her. Lauren slipped it on, enjoying its softness, and she noticed that it even smelled a little like Bo when she inhaled deeply.

Lauren jumped when she heard the loud squeak of the heavy door on its hinges. Bo stepped inside a moment later, a sheepish grin on her face. She returned carrying a plate of food, presumably for Lauren.

"Sorry," Bo muttered, seeing the shock she caused the other woman. She reached to shut the heavy door behind her, closing them both in the room together again.

"I didn't know you were leaving," Lauren said.

"I had to for a little while. I hope you weren't worried," Bo added quickly. "Next time, I'll make sure I tell you if —"

"Bo, it's fine, really. Nothing bad happened, and it's been quiet up here. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

Silence hung between them for several long moments. The brief reprieve while they separated was enough to make Lauren retreat back into her more reserved manner, and Bo was at a loss as to what to do about it. She was clearly itching to say something but didn't know where to begin with her new guest. They simply stood across the room from one another, with only the distant sounds of the ocean breaking over the rocks far below them.

Eventually, Bo couldn't take it anymore. "I brought you this," she blurted rather loudly, holding up the plate to Lauren in offering.

There had been so much happening since Lauren arrived at this new place that the she hadn't actually realized she was actually hungry until now. The last meal she had was breakfast before she'd left for her lab, and she hadn't left her workstation all day — not until her chance meeting with the Blackthorn. She had no idea when the effects from the watch would wear off either. The brass device hadn't accompanied her to the stables, and she distinctly remembered the sound of it striking the concrete floor of her apartment before time shifted. Unfortunately, the watch didn't reverse the effects of her hunger. Dinner was looking more and more like a necessity.

"Thanks," Lauren replied.

Bo slowly and hesitantly stepped forward, clearly showing some personal restraint in her pace. She handed the plate to Lauren and searched her eyes for a reaction. "I wasn't sure what you wanted," Bo explained swiftly. She writhed her hands together now that they were no longer occupied. "I hope that what I picked out is fine with you. I stopped by the kitchens and it was the first thing I saw. And I couldn't find a fork either. I'm so sorry, it's just that —"

"Bo," Lauren interrupted, cutting her off her frantic apology with a smile. Bo's expression was anxious, and it was obvious that Lauren's reaction was a source of growing distress to her. "I'm sure it will be wonderful. Thank you," Lauren assured her, glancing down at the plate she now held in her hand. The honey-roast pork chops with vegetables and sliced pomegranate did actually look quite appetizing, and now that the smell was beginning to waft toward her, it made her mouth water. Her stomach even grumbled in anticipation, finally bringing a look of relief to Bo's face.

"You're welcome," Bo replied. "Feel free to use the desk if you want. I'm going to wash up…" she glanced at Lauren with uncertainty, "… and maybe we could talk after? If you want to, that is."

Lauren took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I think we need to."

Bo nodded in agreement. "Of course. I'll be out in a few minutes." She gave Lauren a hopeful smile. "I hope you enjoy your dinner. Halima was cooking tonight — she's the best."

In the fifteen minutes after Bo left, Lauren nearly devoured everything on her plate. The lack of utensils hadn't slowed her down in the slightest. The pork was so tender that it didn't even require cutting, and the seasoning was nearly perfect. Her fingers were hopelessly messy, but that didn't bother her at all, not with her hunger, at least. The pomegranate was probably the best she'd ever tasted, even better than the ones sold at the whole foods market a few blocks from Lauren's apartment. She picked the fruit up to scoop out another mouthful of sweet seeds. She was so entranced with the food in front of her that she didn't even notice Bo approaching behind her back as she was finishing.

"I take it you were hungry then?" Bo asked. Her voice came from just over Lauren's right shoulder, and she whirled around in the wooden stool in front of the work desk to find its source before bolting upright from her seat.

Lauren blinked several times while taking in Bo's new appearance. The brunette was now wearing a gown nearly identical to her own. It really shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise, seeing as how it was nothing more than loose linen, but Bo had a way of making the outfit look more sensual than it was intended to be. Her dress from earlier today wasn't quite as low cut, for starters. And while the more formal dress was tighter and accentuated Bo's pleasant proportions, the thinness of the fabric in her linen gown draped off her body in a way that allowed Lauren to see everything — the exact curve of her hips, the flat plane of her stomach, even the swell of her breasts…

"Umm, Lauren?" Bo asked, snapping Lauren out of her trance.

"Y-Yes?"

"Did the food suit your needs?" Bo asked with a knowing smirk. Her dark eyes glinted in the dim lighting, causing a shiver to pass through the blonde. "Or did you have some other craving on your mind?"

_Shit_. Bo was a succubus, as Lauren discovered earlier. She hadn't said as much, but Lauren knew from her studies how to identify one. Bo had given away her species earlier at the stables, whether she'd known it or not. They could read sexual energies like auras, and in a moment of distraction, Lauren had just given her more primal desires away. She instantly threw up her mental barriers, working herself back down to a level that was only politely interested. Bo's eyebrows raised high at the sudden change in Lauren, and a quick flash of disappointment crossed her face.

"The food was delicious — thank you again," Lauren said.

Bo tilted her head for a moment. "You have a little bit of…" she trailed off and motioned to the side of Lauren's face, so the blonde raised her hand up quickly to wipe at the side of her mouth, where in all likelihood Lauren was probably wearing a piece of her dinner. "That didn't quite get it," Bo said, shaking her head.

Lauren wiped a second time, now attempting to cover a larger area. "Is it gone?"

Bo shook her head again, taking a single step forward. It brought them nearly toe to toe, and Lauren held her breath as Bo reached her hand up toward Lauren's face. Her thumb brushed gently against the side of Lauren's lower lip, yet the sensation was sharp, one that left a tingling sensation even after she drew her hand away. Lauren blushed furiously, and Bo's eyes shone in contentment.

"There," Bo said with a satisfied grin. "All better."

"Thanks," Lauren breathed out. She blushed furiously, lowering her head and smiling in amusement at the tactics Bo just used on her. She raised her own finger to the point on her lips that was still tingling, and Bo watched her for several moments in amusement. "I guess that I promised you a talk, huh?"

Bo nodded, all trace of humor gone. "Yes, you did. But if you wanted to wait until tomorrow, I would understand, Lauren. You've just been through a lot, from what it sounds like."

"I want to," Lauren assured her. "Well, more like I think I _need_ to, really."

Bo said nothing more, but she vacated Lauren's personal space, retreating to her huge feather mattress in the center of the large stone room. The candlelight was brighter there, as the ones that were lit were mounted on the walls flanking either side of the bed. Bo perched herself on the far side of the mattress, crossing her legs beneath her linen gown and waiting politely. She didn't say anything, but her expression was beckoning for Lauren to join her. So she did. Bo waited with rapt attention as Lauren strode across the room, climbing to the space opposite Bo and mirroring her positioning. The mattress was softer than Lauren expected, and her body sank into it deeply.

Each of them was hesitant to start now that they'd reached this critical point. Bo's face was alight with curiosity, but she was holding back from asking her numerous questions in an attempt to be polite to her guest. Lauren, on the other hand, didn't know where to begin, nor how much she really wanted to divulge to Bo. Some of the information she could provide might be dangerous if she allowed it to be known here. Lauren wasn't looking to create political upheaval with her presence — she only wanted to prevent the king from making a "bad peace," preferably in favor of making a _good_ peace, one that would benefit the Fae for years to come.

"I don't really know where to start," Lauren confessed, shaking her head slightly.

"May I?" Bo asked. She didn't have to ask the specific question for Lauren to know what she was after; she wanted permission to ask the questions that were clearly burning in her mind. Lauren nodded, and Bo scooted closer to Lauren on the bed, making their knees nearly touch. She gazed into Lauren's light brown eyes, and her voice was exceedingly gentle when she continued: "Who are you?"

"Lauren Lewis."

"I remember that," Bo chuckled. "I mean, who are you as in… What is your position where you come from?"

"I'm a doctor."

Bo's eyes widened in surprise. Whatever answer she'd been expecting, it hadn't been that. In hindsight, Lauren probably should have remembered that in this time, female physicians were absolutely unheard of. However, the surprised look quickly transformed into a wide, happy smile. "You must be smart, then… Doctor," Bo teased her.

Lauren shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe a little, I guess."

"I've never heard of a woman doctor anywhere around here," Bo mused, telling Lauren as much as she already suspected. "How is that even possible? Where are you from?"

This was the part that would be tricky. Bo may or may not have heard of time travel; the way Marcus discussed it made it sound like a highly guarded secret, one only available to the upper echelons of Fae politicians. Chronos were closely guarded by their kings, and their existence was likely kept as silent as possible to keep them safe from foes. Humans, on the other hand, had no such abilities, and while Bo might understand the basic concept from a Fae perspective, she might be suspicious of how Lauren managed to accomplish it as a human.

"I'm a physician to one of the Fae communities in Toronto."

"Toronto?" Bo's brows furrowed together in confusion, and it was clear that she had no idea what Lauren just said. "Where's that? I've never heard of it."

Lauren was no anthropological expert, though she did have to take a breadth of history and humanities classes during her studies at Yale University. During those courses, she'd studied texts that described settings of her current environment — the architecture, the dress, the culture — though all those studies felt like a distant past to her, even when in reality it was only a bit longer than a decade. Lauren could probably hazard a guess at the general time period she found herself in, maybe even a location, yet both of those were far, far from where Lauren came from. Toronto was practically halfway around the world, and it wasn't even settled until the early eighteenth century. Bo's world very obviously predated that. Even if Lauren could explain its location, it wouldn't mean anything to the woman in front of her.

"It's far away," Lauren said simply. "Almost on the other side of the world."

Bo regarded Lauren curiously for a moment. She didn't say as much, but Lauren gathered that it was becoming clearer to her that the blonde was in a truly unique circumstance. She'd already admitted to working alongside the Fae, for starters. That apparently didn't happen to humans in Bo's universe. Not to mention, she'd materialized instantly thousands of miles away, bypassing the security measures in place around the city. Bo wasn't a fool; she would put the pieces together eventually. There was a heavy pause as Bo mulled through the information presented to her.

"_When_ are you from?" Bo asked hesitantly, confirming Lauren's hypothesis.

"When I left today, the year was 2014," Lauren answered her in a soft yet clearly audible voice.

Bo inhaled sharply at the new information. Even by Fae standards, it was a shocking revelation, even more so in Lauren's case because she was human. Lauren remained silent while the brunette processed her words. By Lauren's estimates, she and Bo were about five centuries apart, so there was understandably a lot on her mind at the moment.

"What —," Bo started, though she abandoned whatever she'd been about to say. Instead she settled for a far simpler: "How?"

"I was sent back by one of the Fae rulers."

Then came the next logical question, the one with the answer that still eluded the blonde. "Why?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Something bad is going to happen in the near future — _my_ near future," Lauren clarified, "— and I've been led to believe that what sets it all in motion happens here… About now, or close to it."

"What happens?" Bo's expression instantly grew worried, so apparently the revelation was completely unexpected. Lauren had no idea what politics were at play in this part of the world; Fae history _definitely_ wasn't included in her studies at Yale.

"A 'bad peace.' That's all I know."

Bo nodded, realizing her push for grittier details wasn't going to accomplish much. She seemed surprised by Lauren's identity, but overall, she took the news shockingly well. Not once had Bo even sent the merest accusing glance her way, nor did her tone ever grow short. If Lauren hadn't known any better, she would've thought Bo was actually interested in what she had to say.

"Are you worried?" Bo asked in a concerned voice, leaning forward slightly. "From what it sounds like, things are different where you come from."

"I am — at least a little bit," Lauren admitted. "I wasn't told much of anything before I was sent." She paused to think to herself. "Where I would be going, _when_ I would be going… I don't even know how I'm supposed to get back," she added, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's all right." Bo reached forward, placing a comforting hand on Lauren's forearm. "I'll help you any way that I can," she assured the doctor with conviction. "As long as it takes for you to figure it out, Lauren. You're safe here."

With the sincerity of Bo's promise, suddenly the prospect of being trapped here didn't seem so daunting, despite the dangers looming at every turn. Bo obviously had some influence in this world, hence her residence in the castle. Lauren had assumed Kenzi's princess reference earlier was a joking reference somehow, but it might have not been far from the truth, actually. Before the Fae clans were created, they were ruled by a monarchy, though Lauren only ever heard of one leader during those times, the Blood King. He was the one that decreed the peace arrangement the Blackthorn was so intent on erasing. Yet didn't sound as if Bo ever ascended to the throne.

This all seemed like a crazy dream, an incredible figment of her imagination. Even Bo, who Lauren could see, hear, and touch, had an tinge of unreality about her. Perhaps it was because for the first time in her life, Lauren felt sought after and had those own feelings rekindled within herself. That didn't happen regularly even before her servitude, but for the past six years with the Light Fae, it had been totally nonexistent. Whether it was the extraordinary circumstances or just simply Bo, the rational, calculating Lauren Lewis was enraptured by the situation she found herself in. So when Bo asked if Lauren was ready to sleep, of course she agreed. Bo moved to climb down from the giant four-poster bed in response, causing Lauren to frown.

"Where are you going?" the doctor asked.

Bo hesitated, one hand grasping the thick wood post at the foot of her bed. "You can stay up here in my bed tonight. I was going to go downstairs to stay in Ciara's room."

"Who is Ciara?" Lauren hadn't meant for the hint of jealousy that edged into her voice, but she wasn't able to stop herself before the words came spilling out. Lauren already met Kenzi, Bo's best friend, earlier. She'd heard nothing about any woman named Ciara, however.

"She's my cousin," Bo smirked. "Her father is the Earl of Leedshire, but she comes to visit during the summer.

"Oh."

"Nobody will bother you up here while I'm gone. I've made sure of that," Bo said, twisting her body around to place both feet on the floor.

Lauren watched in stunned silence as she walked away. Bo almost made it to the door before she found her voice. "Bo?" Lauren pushed herself to her knees on the soft mattress.

"Yes?" Bo halted, one hand on the door's heavy handle.

"I don't want you to feel put out of your own room. This bed is more than big enough for two people, so if you wanted to share…" Lauren tried not to sound too eager, "… that would be fine with me."

Bo didn't say anything for a moment, instantly causing Lauren to worry that she'd perhaps overstepped her boundaries. She'd expected _some_ sort of reaction from Bo, even if it was another one of her teasing grins, but the unreadable expression was filling her with apprehension. Bo eventually traced her steps back to the edge of the bed, her face still guarded.

"You know what I am, right?" Bo asked seriously. "What kind of Fae I am?" she clarified.

Lauren nodded. "You're a succubus — admittedly the first one I've met, but I recognized your features straightaway."

Bo searched her eyes for several long moments. "And that doesn't… _bother_ you at all? As a human?"

"No, it doesn't. It's who you are, Bo," Lauren said, shaking her head. "I trust you, and you're a good person. Being a succubus doesn't change that about you."

If Lauren hadn't been watching so intently, she would have missed the flash of intense emotion that passed over Bo's face. She composed herself quickly, however, though there was still a vestige of it left in her expression. It was a warmer look than before, and it suited Bo perfectly.

"If you insist, then," Bo said in a soft voice. One corner of her mouth pulled up in the faintest hint of a smile.

* * *

Lauren's circadian rhythm hadn't adjusted to the time jump. Back in Toronto, she regularly woke up before the break of dawn — granted it was with the aid of an alarm, but that was what her body was accustomed to for so many years. There were no alarms here. There was only the sun, and when it became bright enough to trigger the waking response, people would wake up. Lauren wasn't sure how long that would be, but the pitch black sky outside the window led her to believe it would be some time before that happened.

The blonde lost track of time completely while she lied in bed awake. Eventually, the faint glow of the impending sunrise outside allowed in just enough light to illuminate the vaulted stone ceiling, and from Lauren's position on her back, she found her eyes tracing the patterns in the ashlar lining the heavy stone ribs to pass the minutes. It helped — at least until the bed suddenly shifted next to her. The mass underneath the heavy covers to Lauren's left moved closer, and without warning, one of Bo's stray arms found its way across her stomach. She tugged at Lauren's abdomen gently in her sleep and nuzzled her cheek against the blonde's shoulder. A moment later, everything stilled again.

Lauren held her breath, and a tightness settled in the pit of her stomach. Bo's arm was still draped over her midsection. For some reason, the closeness terrified her, but she couldn't say why. Had Lauren been thinking clearly, she might have hypothesized that it was because she secretly craved the proximity. The thoughts going through Lauren's mind were too hazy to be useful at the moment, however. It took all of her concentration to keep her breaths coming in a regular rhythm… in and out… slow and even…

Three hard raps on the door rang out and echoed through the large stone chambers. The sound jolted Lauren from her daze, and her heart felt as if it stopped beating. A softer click sounded though the room, followed by the loud whine of the iron hinges as the door eased open.

"Shit," Lauren hissed.

Bo said last night that there would be nobody disturbing her up here, yet someone Fae was about to waltz into the room right now uninvited. Bo was apparently a heavy sleeper and hadn't even budged at the sound, leaving Lauren feeling oddly vulnerable and alone. She scrambled from her position and sat upright. Her back rested against the headboard, and she pulled the covers up higher to the level of her shoulders while Bo's arm still hung limply in her lap.

_Please, in the name of Aphrodite, don't let it be Dyson_, Lauren thought.

As if someone heard her plea, woman stepped inside a moment later. She was already wearing a casual blue dress, and her light brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She spotted Lauren instantly but didn't seem surprised at all by her presence.

"Good morning," she greeted cheerily with a thick accent. "You must be the Lauren that Bo was telling me about." Lauren was completely speechless and merely stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I'm Ciara — Isabeau's older cousin. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lauren blinked several times in quick succession. This was the woman Bo was planning on sharing a bed with last night. When Bo hadn't come downstairs to join her… Suddenly her appearance made more sense. She was checking in on them. Lauren glanced down at the sleeping succubus frantically, and Ciara followed her gaze to where Bo was snuggled into her side.

"Ah yes," Ciara said, nodding to herself. "Bo does that. You've got to give her a good kick if you want to get her off you. Trust me."

Lauren wasn't about to kick the woman next to her. Bo's presence beside her wasn't unpleasant, it just felt too intimate for the presence of a third party. Ciara seemed to take Lauren's inaction as an invitation; she reached forward to shake Bo's shoulder roughly. The succubus grunted in protest, burrowing even closer against Lauren in response.

"Bo?" Lauren said, gently rubbing Bo's back with a free hand. She hoped to rouse her by less disruptive means before Ciara moved in to shake her again. The succubus was still motionless, but a few seconds later, she turned her head up toward the sound of Lauren's voice, her sleep-filled eyes fluttering open.

"Hmm?" came Bo's raspy reply.

"It's time to wake up," Lauren told her. "Ciara is here."

"Ugh." Bo's eyes drifted back shut, and she returned to her former position. "Too early."

Ciara invited herself to the edge of the bed, perching herself right next to Bo. She didn't shake the succubus again, however. Ciara said: "Bo, I know it's earlier than you're used to, but you have to go to the tournament today. Remember?"

It took several moments for the words to register, though Lauren could instantly tell when they did. Bo grudgingly removed her arm from Lauren's waist and pulled herself upright next to her, glaring at her cousin. Ciara simply watched her with amusement from her spot on the edge of the bed.

"I was having a good dream," Bo grumbled.

Ciara chuckled. "Yes, well… If I know you, you'll have no problem having another one just as good later. Now it's time to get ready to go — the both of you," she added, eying Lauren as well.

"Me?!" Lauren blurted loudly, more to Bo than to her cousin. It was Ciara that answered, however.

"I know you're human, Lauren," Ciara replied matter of factly. She didn't seem bothered by the information, which allowed Lauren to relax a bit more, though she still didn't understand how it was going to be possible for her to go anywhere in this castle undetected. "The games are held on the east end of the city, but the royal court will be seated in the battlements surrounding the east tower. You'd be sitting with us, of course. You would easily blend in with the maidens and squires. There are so many of them — truthfully, hardly anybody remembers them all. The maids will be visiting the chambers since everyone will be gone, so it's not as if you could stay _here_ anyways. They'd find you."

It seemed too complicated. There were going to be a number of Fae around Lauren if they followed Ciara's plan, any one of which might be able to sense her humanity. It would be tempting fate to even try. However, the prospect of mingling with the ruling class, especially the Blood King, was enticing. After all, her goal was to stop him from essentially destroying the fabric of their Fae society. Ciara was perceptive and sensed her misgivings without Lauren uttering a single word.

"I know everyone who will be there," Ciara assured her. "There are only a few Fae that you need to be concerned about here at the castle, Lauren. Wai Lin, for one… she's a Luduan, a truth Fae. You wouldn't be able to keep any of your secrets from her. Her abilities don't make her any friends though, so she's a bit of a recluse — only ventures out in public a few times per decade. Needless to say, you won't be seeing her anytime soon."

"And the others?" Lauren asked.

"There's Cayden and Dyson, both wolves," Ciara continued, oblivious to the way Lauren's jaw tensed at the second name. "They might be able to smell you if they got close enough, but they will both be in the tournament. Then there's Mayer — he's a luck Fae. He'd be able to identify you if he touched your skin, but he'll be too busy collecting wagers on the matches to join the court, not that he's all that interested in socializing anyway. And lastly there's Lachlan. He's a Naga, and he's going to be in the tournament as well."

So there were five Fae that Lauren needed to avoid within the castle. There was no telling how many threatening Fae existed outside the inner wall, but it didn't sound as if Lauren needed to go there, to the city proper. She'd seen from the windows yesterday that there was a long wall-walk leading between the east and west towers of the castle, where Lauren, Ciara and Bo were currently residing. They needn't even go down to the main level of the castle to make it to the eastern battlement. However, Lauren's logical arguments for going were being countered with her own ingrained instincts from six years of living with the Fae, instincts that forbid her from socializing in their circles. Just yesterday (or was it centuries in the future?), Lauren had been relegated to a place far, far away from the Fae while they held their celebration. It was jarring to finally be included now, even if it was only by subterfuge.

"You don't need to worry about anything, Lauren," Bo assured her. She'd clearly taken Lauren's silence as a sign of her worry, and her voice was suffused with warmth. "Ciara will be there, and so will I. We're not going to let anything happen to you."

Logically, Lauren realized that was probably true. She had no idea what kind of Fae Ciara was, but between her and Bo, the two of them would likely be able to keep her clear of harm's way at least for a few hours. Her nerves would likely calm in time, at least once she acclimated to being out in public in this strange place, but until that happened, Lauren couldn't help but worry.

It wasn't as if she didn't have good reason to.

* * *

This "tournament" was needlessly barbaric. Nobody died, or at least nobody had died yet _today_. The Fae fighters just beat each other within an inch of their lives, leaving both sides battered and bloodied. The victors however, were the ones that were left standing after the debacle, while the losers were left unconscious or incapacitated. All done for the chance to win twenty pounds of silver… It was madness.

The crowds gathered in the stands below were loving it, however. The earlier matches didn't offer much in the way of entertainment for them though. Even with Lauren's untrained eye, she could tell that the first bout of competitors lacked training. Their evasive maneuvers and attacks were terribly clumsy and slow. Only their Fae abilities were able to salvage their matches, and even then, they didn't have much experience using their supernatural gifts. The crowds of people below only watched intermittently, tuning in to cheer during the brief episodes when there was actually engaging action or when the official announced the winners.

What the lackluster fighting _did_ allow for was more socializing — a sort of warm-up before the real fights began, as Bo explained to Lauren as they crossed the elevated stone walkway between the two towers. The morning was when the Fae in attendance mingled amongst each other, and the afternoon was when the "entertainment" began. It was one of the reasons Bo's attendance was expected; as the princess, she had obligations to socialize with the politicians that would also be present.

The problem was, Bo wasn't socializing with anyone else. She'd hardly left Lauren's side since they arrived on the battlements. As Ciara predicted, there were so many nameless courtiers that nobody had noticed anything yet, but if Bo continued paying Lauren extra attention, people would be watching her with a more scrutinizing eye. And that was one thing Lauren didn't need happening. It was hard to will herself away from Bo though, mostly because if Lauren had her way, she would be _would_ be spending the entire day with her.

A cheer sounded from below as the official announced the last winner of the morning session. Lauren watched through the waist-high gap between the merlons below; despite the stupid grin on the Fae's bloodied and swollen face, he looked as if he could barely stand. He had to be assisted out of the muddy ring by two of his friends, while the one he defeated was carried off the pitch on a makeshift canvas gurney. There was a flurry of activity once the official announced a break before the afternoon matches.

"You know, I've never really enjoyed these things," Bo said, standing next to Lauren and watching the scene below with her nose turned up in distaste. "I've had to go to them since I was a little girl, and I still hate them as much as I did back then. I wasn't even tall enough to see over the ledge back then — I just hated the fighting, the sounds, all of it."

Lauren nodded in understanding. It always took the crowd a split second to react to the fight, so anytime a attack landed, they would always hear the sounds from the pitch before they heard the crowd's response. Sometime it was the sickening snap of a bone breaking, other times, it was the strangled cry of someone who'd just suffered a nearly lethal blow. Lauren tried to tune it out, but sometimes it couldn't be helped.

"It's not something for children, I would think," Lauren agreed. "As a doctor, it just pains me to see people inflict so much damage on each other intentionally — and for sport, no less."

Bo's face fell a little bit more. "I'm sorry I had to drag you to this."

"It's not your fault, Bo."

The succubus sighed deeply. "I know, but still… I hoped that while you were here, I could at least show you something fun," she said with a shrug. "Not this."

"Maybe later," Lauren grinned. "I'll hold you to that, by the way."

"Oh, you can count on it." Bo chuckled.

It was easy to be with Bo like this. Now that there was a brief reprieve from the matches, everyone was milling about on the battlements socializing freely with each other. Neither Bo nor Lauren paid the others any mind. Even though Bo was Fae and she was human, Lauren could almost forget their differences and just enjoy the shared company. _Almost_.

"Isabeau, darling?" a woman's voice sounded behind them, causing Bo to pale instantly.

Lauren didn't recognize the voice, but Bo actually looked panicked for a moment — and that was never a good sign. She hesitated before slowly turning to face the newcomer, and Lauren followed her lead. The woman was quite beautiful, and Lauren could tell from the extravagant dress that she was someone important.

"Hello, Mother," Bo said, her voice unsteady. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today. I thought you hated the games." Bo's statement was more of a question, and she gave her mother a quizzical look. Lauren wisely stayed silent, watching the interaction warily.

"I still do hate them… But even queens have to tolerate distasteful social functions from time to time." Despite what she said, her tone sounded ambivalent, like she couldn't be bothered about attending one way or the other. As the queen, she was probably a highly intelligent woman, but she gave off an air of aloofness. "Since I'm here, however, I was wondering if I might have a word?"

Bo looked terribly uneasy. "Now?"

"Yes. I'm afraid it can't wait." For the first time, the queen's gaze fell upon Lauren. It was an accusing look, and the doctor's blood instantly ran cold.

_She knew._

Bo cast a worried glance toward Lauren before nodding in her mother's direction. As she walked away, she turned around and mouthed: "I'm sorry." Bo's face was ashen, but it couldn't have looked worse than Lauren's; it simply wasn't possible.

Lauren couldn't bear to watch their interaction. If the queen knew about her — if she could read her identity like Bo could — then all bets were off. She'd be turned in quicker than she could hope to escape from the battlements, much less the castle, and in all likelihood, she'd be punished… _severely_. She turned quickly, looking away from Bo and her mother and trying desperately to distract herself from the looming terror that was bound to be coming her way.

She barely noticed anyone else's presence around her. Ciara stopped by at some point to provide some reassurance, but Lauren didn't even register her words. Eventually, Ciara gave up trying. She left, though she stayed close by to keep a continued watch on her. It probably wouldn't matter anyway. Lauren simply stared over the merlons, waiting for the inevitable crushing reality to come.

"Excuse me?"

The new voice belonged to a man, and it was one Lauren had yet to hear today.

Lauren blinked before facing her new visitor. Her eyes darted around to find the source, narrowing slightly when they settled on a man much shorter than herself. He didn't look threatening standing a whole three heads lower than Lauren, but he did hold an authoritative posture. Then Lauren saw the silver crown on his head. It was either an incredible stroke of luck or a terrible omen; which one remained to be seen. He was the Blood King.

Lauren had no experience with kings before. The etiquette wasn't ingrained in her subconscious, as it likely was with the others here. She could only assume that the expectations for behavior were similar to her previous interactions with the Ash. As if to add insult to injury, Lauren reflexively bowed her head and attempted a curtsy, nearly stumbling and toppling over in the process. The Blood King didn't pay any mind to her pleasantries.

"I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of meeting you yet," he said without preamble. "Are you new to court?"

Lauren nodded. "I am." It wasn't a lie, she supposed. "My name is Lauren."

"It's very nice to meet you, Lauren." His voice was harsh, and his gaze was scrutinizing as he continued: "I see you've already had the pleasure of meeting my daughter Isabeau as well."

Lauren instantly turned defensive. "I have. She is truly a remarkable woman."

"Aye, she is," he agreed with an exaggerated huff. "And she would be even more remarkable if she would take a better interest in her future. If she is to inherit the kingdom one day, she needs to stop her little _dalliances_ with my squires and courtesans and start focusing on politics… And I hope others that would distract her would realize that."

A loud cheer erupted from below, catching Lauren off guard. She'd been listening to the king's words carefully and hadn't noticed that the next match started. She didn't much care about the fighting, however.

The Blood King insinuated some pretty negative commentary regarding his daughter. If she wasn't mistaken, he'd also thrown in some subtle jabs as Lauren as well, underhandedly referring to her as a courtesan — nothing more than a woman in Bo's harem – while simultaneously suggesting that Bo would be better off without her presence. If she confronted him about it, he would undoubtedly deny saying such things. As any skilled politician, he was able to mask his insults behind innocuous words, but Lauren was smart enough to catch his true meaning. Needless to say, she didn't agree. Not at all. But he'd made his point quite clear. He didn't like that Bo was spending time with an unknown stranger, and he was here to get Lauren to keep her distance. It was a good thing he didn't seem aware that she was human. At least not yet, anyway.

"I think that Bo _is_ focused on her future," Lauren pointed out, feeling the need to argue on the woman's behalf since she wasn't here to defend herself. "But her interests for her future might be somewhat different than what's expected of her, I'd imagine. She's incredibly independent-minded, if not a little bit stubborn."

It actually amazed Lauren that she was able to give such an account of Bo's character, having only known her for a day. But it was all true. Bo was stubborn. The fact that she'd flaunted her own father's rules to do what she thought was right attested to that. The fact that Lauren was here attested to that. Nobody could ever accuse Bo of having weak convictions or not being committed to a cause.

"You must not have known my Isabeau very long then," the Blood King replied offhandedly. "She is stubborn, as you mentioned. But I would hardly consider her behavior at this castle appropriate for her station. She's had torrid affairs with over half of my courtiers in just the past year alone, and I can't keep dismissing my men and women from court every time she has a lover's spat with any one of them. _Surely_ you can understand my predicament."

Lauren's jaw clenched. She knew that Bo was a succubus. It shouldn't have bothered her to hear those things, but for some reason, it did. It caused an uncomfortable weight settle in her stomach, and it was threatening to make her nauseous. She didn't dare say a word though.

The Blood King was oblivious to Lauren's turmoil. He observed the games below with polite interest, his mouth forming a grin as he watched the contenders tear each other apart. Lauren wasn't watching, but she could tell that someone was getting demolished from the fever pitch of the crowd. They'd only ever gotten that loud before when there was unbelievable bloodshed. She couldn't find the motivation to look.

"Bo would need someone strong…" the Blood King muttered quietly to himself. Lauren couldn't tell if he was even still aware of her presence. "Someone who could provide her with everything she needed… Someone with a good head on his shoulders… Someone who could manage her…" As he spoke, his grin only grew wider. The crowd's roars grew deafening; the fight must have just finished.

It was either the match or his personal musings that was causing his shift in demeanor. Just minutes ago, the Blood King had unloaded his frustrations with Bo on Lauren, while simultaneously insulting Lauren in the process. To account for the change, he had to have someone in mind, someone he felt would suit Bo perfectly. Lauren had a hunch that this person was on the pitch. It was the only explanation for the stupid smile on the his bearded face.

Lauren chanced a quick glance down to the pitch below, instantly wishing she hadn't. She'd seen gruesome injuries before, having staffed trauma units in conflict zones in the past. The sight of the fallen hydra with his leg nearly severed at the thigh, hanging on only by the tiniest wisp of superficial flesh, didn't bother her at all. She'd seen far worse. It didn't even bother her that he was lying in a pool of his own blood. Her clinical expertise told her that he would probably die within a couple of minutes if a tourniquet wasn't applied soon, but it didn't disgust her.

What turned her stomach into knots was the man standing shirtless over him with two fists raised up in the air in victory. He gazed up to the battlements, offering a winning smile to his royal audience, who applauded happily. Lauren couldn't celebrate his victory, however. She knew the man that the Blood King favored.

It was Dyson.

* * *

"Do you mind telling me what you're doing, Bo?" her mother asked her once they were out of earshot of the other Fae.

She'd chosen a secluded corner of the battlement, far away from where the others were wandering and trying to make polite conversation. Everyone seemed to understand that they were to leave Bo and her mother alone; nobody approached them.

"I'm not doing anything," Bo argued. "I was told I had to go to the tournament today, and now I'm here. End of story."

She couldn't help but send a worried glance toward Lauren. By now, she'd secluded herself to the merlon, her back facing all the other courtiers. Ciara was trying to talk to her but didn't seem to be having much luck. Bo was overwhelmed with guilt at everything that transpired today. The last tournament her mother attended was five years ago. How was she supposed to know she would be showing up today? It was an understandable oversight, but it still made Bo want to kick herself for her stupidity. If this somehow got Lauren in trouble… Bo didn't even want to entertain the possibility.

"I'm talking about your little human, Isabeau." Her mother's brown eyes were stern and unrelenting.

Of course her mother had the same abilities as Bo did. If Bo had been able to detect the subtle difference in Lauren's aura, then surely her mother would have been able to as well. There was no sense denying it now.

Bo crossed her arms in front of her chest and kept her voice steady. "What about her?"

"You know the rules, dear."

"Well, the rules are stupid."

"Don't be petulant, Bo. The rules are in place for a reason, and they're as much for our protection as theirs." Not once did her mother raise her voice, yet her words were full of warning. "If you'd seen as many Fae burn or hang as your father and I have — all at the humans' hands — you wouldn't be arguing the point right now."

Bo had heard about the burnings. They'd gone on for quite some time. The Fae that lived on the edges of the city or lived close to human settlements were sometimes targeted for their oddities. Fae usually did an excellent job of being discreet, but even they weren't able to adhere to the strict social norms of the human world. It didn't take much for the humans to condemn them to death. Against an entire army of humans wielding weapons and fire, a solitary Fae didn't stand much of a chance. They were burned as heretics or witches, though none of the condemned actually fit that description. It had only caused the resentment toward humans to fester over the past century.

"Lauren isn't a threat," Bo said, shaking her head at the very thought. "She already knows about the Fae too. She's not going to be any trouble."

Her mother's voice was cautioning. "Bo…"

"Mum, please… Please just let her be." Bo didn't care if she sounded pathetic at the moment. She needed to make this right. "Nobody is going to even notice she's here."

"I think it might be a little too late for that."

Her mother's words instantly set off alarms in Bo's head, and she whirled around to find Lauren again. She hadn't moved from her place on the other side of the battlement, but now she was talking to someone. With a sinking feeling, Bo realized it was her father. Her mother was a stickler, but she could at least be reasoned with most days. Her father was a mule-headed, obstinate man who couldn't see reason if someone beat him over the head with it. He didn't have any Fae abilities that would discern Lauren's humanity, but he was the most dangerous person in the kingdom to her. It was his laws that would be broken, so it was his punishments that would be administered.

"Oh no…" Bo whispered. Her mother didn't hear it over the loud roar of the crowd.

Bo didn't even think about her response. She ignored her mother's pleas to stay put, marching toward Lauren and Trick determinedly. It was a relatively long journey from the far end of the battlement, about seventy-five feet in all. Bo's course was complicated by all the damned Fae courtiers that kept crossing in front of her path. She ducked around and dodged them all.

She was about halfway there when Lauren took off.

It was completely unexpected, and while she wasn't running, she was moving at a pace far quicker than a leisurely walk. She disappeared down the wall-walk and was clearly headed back toward the west tower. Bo didn't know what happened, but something had clearly upset her.

"Lauren, wait!" Bo called out. Her yells were drowned out by the echoing cheers from the match below. It was unlikely that Lauren heard her, but if she did, she didn't stop.

Bo went after her. Despite her grumbles, nobody moved readily from her path. She had to forcibly move some people. They only looked perturbed until they realized who'd done it. Of course, _then_ they were overly apologetic. Bo didn't care and slipped by them as quickly as she could. Lauren was completely across the wall-walk by the time Bo caught up with her. The doorway to the vacant tower was left open since it was daytime, so neither of them had to bother with it like they had done this morning.

"Lauren, please talk to me!" Bo called out again. Lauren had to hear her that time, so now Bo was convinced she was willfully ignoring her. The blonde rounded a corner and disappeared from view. If she was trying to get away, it was a poor choice; Bo knew her chosen passageway was a dead end. "Lauren!"

Bo rounded the corner a moment later, slightly out of breath from her pursuit. She stared in the dark corridor, expecting to see a frustrated Lauren staring back at her. Yet it was empty. There was only a locked door at the end of the hall. The heavy chains hadn't been tampered with, and there were no other places she could have gone.

It was as if Lauren had vanished into thin air. Bo buried her forehead into both palms and let out a guttural cry of frustration, but there was nobody around to hear it.


	5. Missing Pieces

Rays of sunshine spilled in through Lauren's sheer curtains. Though her eyes were already closed, she still had to squint against the bright light. She stretched out her stiff limbs and felt the familiar texture of her soft sheets running beneath her fingertips.

She didn't recall anything about how she'd gotten back to her own apartment. She did remember that reversing time was actually painful, if only briefly. But Lauren couldn't recall accelerating time forward at all. It was as if time was moving too quickly for her to even perceive it, too quickly to even register her own thoughts, and somewhere during the natural course of her activity, she'd fallen asleep. The last thing she remembered was rounding the corner in one of the castle's corridors, and then she'd woken to the sun shining in her face, halfway around the world. The entire ordeal felt like the most vivid dream Lauren had ever experienced, even more so by the fact that she was now waking up in a haze of sleep.

The covers fell around Lauren's waist as she sat up and glanced around groggily for her alarm clock. Nothing seemed out of place: her white coat was hanging ready on the adjacent bathroom door, and even her cell phone was plugged in and charging on her bedside table. It was a nightly ritual, but it was one she hadn't done prior to her "trip." Somehow, as time had accelerated forward, Lauren's subconscious had remembered to charge the device. If there weren't so many other worries on her mind, she might have marveled at that information, but in the current situation, it barely registered to her. Lauren was more concerned with the bright red numbers that told her she was already over an hour late for work.

"Shit!" Lauren hissed, her eyes growing wide. "Shit, shit, shit!" She threw back the covers from her legs and bolted from the bed.

Her usual morning routine was uncharacteristically hurried, and Lauren was sure that there was something that she'd forgotten during her haste. There wasn't time to dwell on it, however. Nor was there even time to indulge in her morning coffee before hurrying to the lab. She was scheduled to see patients today — the entire rest of her week was completely booked to compensate for the entire day she'd been forced to take off during the Blackthorn's initial visit to the compound. Even though he would still be around for the whole week, the fanfare would be finished. Just like Lauren, the Blackthorn still technically had duties to attend to on his trip before he would be forced to return home.

Lauren scrambled from her car the moment she cut the engine off, not wasting a single moment before throwing her white coat haphazardly over her arm and slamming her car door shut. By the time she'd reached the main lobby of the labs, she was out of breath.

"Dr. Lewis?" one of Lauren's regular assistants cocked her head at her and frowned at her, and the young Fae's light brown bangs fell in her face. Paige was one of Lauren's brightest trainees; it wasn't often that the young Fae looked confused in her presence.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Paige," Lauren gushed. "You wouldn't believe the morning I had. How long has my eight o'clock been waiting?"

Lauren scurried toward her workstation in the center of the lab and cast her bag aside, quickly shrugging into her white coat and looping her stethoscope around her neck. If her first patient arrived on time, he would have been waiting an hour and a half by now. Some doctors didn't care much for keeping their appointments, but Lauren wasn't one of them. She prided herself on punctuality and professionalism, and showing up an hour and a half late to work with no reason wasn't like her at all.

Paige followed her to the workstation, still clutching her clipboard. Lauren hadn't been paying her much attention because she'd been distracted, but the girl appeared even more confused than before — even bordering on worry for her mentor.

"All you all right, doctor?" Paige asked, not able to keep her growing concern from her voice.

The tone caught Lauren's attention, and she stilled her frantic movements. She'd just been about to grab her charts for today, but her hand paused, hovering over one of the many tall cabinet drawers where they were stored.

"I'm fine Paige, just running late and feeling a little out of it today," Lauren admitted. "I'm sorry about keeping you waiting — I know we've got a full schedule today."

"Dr. Lewis, I —"

"I don't want you to feel like you have to stay late today just because we're getting off to a late start. I can stay longer and finish the forensic reports for the Ash since he —"

Paige raised her voice louder to get Lauren's attention: "Dr. Lewis." The doctor paused mid-sentence and looked at Paige guiltily. "I think you may be confused. It's Saturday," she explained, pausing to let Lauren take in the information. "There aren't any patients today, and you finished the last of the Ash's reports last night."

Lauren blinked at her. "How…?"

The blonde pulled her phone from her pocket and turned on the screen, where the date flashed in clear view. Paige was right: it was Saturday. The Blackthorn had arrived on a Monday, so it seemed as if when time accelerated forward again, she lost an entire week in the process. Paige must have thought she was delirious.

"It was a long couple of days, remember?" Paige's blue eyes were still watching Lauren closely. "When we finally closed up the lab on Tuesday, I didn't think I'd be able to get up for at least two days, myself."

Lauren remembered dreading her schedule after the Blackthorn's celebration at the compound. It illustrated perfectly why she never asked for days off from the Ash. Her job was a product of servitude, so if there was work to be done, she'd have to do it, regardless of whether or not she was physically able to. When she didn't work, it piled up, and Lauren hated having that hanging over her head. Sick leave and vacation were foreign concepts to Fae-owned humans.

She was just thankful to have had Paige as her assistant during her entire enslavement. Lauren loved her work, but Paige was the one that made it bearable on a daily basis.

"I…" Lauren paused and shook her head in self-admonishment. There wasn't any arguing with the hard evidence in front of her; nothing could have prepared Lauren for what was waiting for her upon her return. "I must have been more tired than I thought, I guess."

It was a lame excuse, but it was the only one that Lauren had to offer. She couldn't very well tell Paige that she'd traveled through time to visit an old Fae community under classified orders from the Blackthorn — and without the Ash's knowledge or permission. Had she simply spared the few seconds to glance at her phone before leaving, she could have saved herself an embarrassing mistake.

"You should take the day off and rest, Dr. Lewis. I'd say you earned it after last week." Paige's voice was sincere, and her expression was understanding. "All that's left to do here today is to move those new bacterial suspensions onto agar plates. I'm pretty sure I can handle that all by myself."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm overworking you."

"Doctor, if anyone is overworked here, it's you," Paige said, offering Lauren a small grin. "You deserve some time off, and you should enjoy it. Now that the Blackthorn is leaving, it looks like things will be going back to normal around here."

Lauren had been about to shrug off her coat again, but she paused at that piece of information.

She'd known that he wouldn't be staying indefinitely. Yet, she'd hoped that he would be staying long enough to help her through whatever mission he'd assigned her. She was still navigating through a lot of confusion and needed his guidance. He knew more than he was letting on, and Lauren need that information before he went halfway around the world.

"When is he leaving?" Lauren asked, trying to convey only a polite interest. Inside, she was burning with curiosity.

Paige twisted around to find the clock hanging from the wall behind her. "In a couple of hours, I think."

That didn't give Lauren a lot of time. She had to find the Blackthorn before he went to leave, and to keep up appearances and to legitimize his financial trail, he would be traveling by human airline. He would probably be leaving for the airport in an hour at most.

"I have to go," Lauren said. She abandoned removing her white coat, instead grabbing her bag and taking off toward the exit. Paige was left with a perplexed look on her face for the second time today.

Thankfully, there weren't many Fae roaming the halls on the weekend. It was a fairly straight shot to the Ash's office, and most times he would grant Lauren admission without an appointment. She hoped that was the case today; Lauren hadn't the slightest idea where the Blackthorn's hotel was. If the Ash didn't offer up the information, she probably wouldn't be able to get in touch with him before he left the country.

Lauren kept her pace somewhere between a brisk walk and a jog as she approached.

"What's your business with the Ash?" the attendant at the door asked her gruffly.

"I need the Ash to grant me an audience with the Blackthorn," Lauren answered.

"You can't do that. He's leaving today."

"I know he's leaving, but he hasn't left yet," she countered. "Is the Ash available to take my appointment?" She tried her best to sound nonchalant and held her breath as she waited for the answer.

The Ash's attendant lifted the ledger to read from the list of the day's appointments. His eyes flitted over the columns on the page, oblivious to Lauren's anxiety.

"Looks like you're in luck, doctor," he said, glancing over the top of the tablet. "The next appointment isn't until noon."

Lauren let out the breath she was holding. "Thank you," she said, slightly breathless.

"Don't thank me yet." He shook his closely shaved head. "The Ash still has to agree to see you."

Lauren nodded and bowed her head slightly. "Of course."

The attendant disappeared behind the iron door for several minutes, leaving Lauren waiting alone in the hallway. She felt rather foolish standing in the empty hall by herself, so she stuck her hands into her oversized coat pockets to keep her hands from fidgeting. The heavy door blocked all sound coming from behind it; all there was to do now was wait.

A loud metallic click echoed through the hall, and a second later, the iron doors swung open again. The attendant emerged, expressionless.

"The Ash has agreed to see you, doctor."

"Thank you," Lauren whispered. The attendant gestured with his arm into the Ash's office, and Lauren followed his unspoken instruction. As soon as she'd cleared the door's threshold, he shut the door behind her again.

Lauren couldn't see what the Ash was working on, though he was busy writing something lengthy as she approached his desk. He made no indication that he'd even noticed her arrival. Lauren waited patiently and silently as he wrote line after line… after line… after line. She really didn't have time to waste, but if she angered the Ash, he definitely wouldn't grant her permission to meet the Blackthorn. She was forced to do everything on his terms.

After several long, uncomfortable minutes, the Ash laid down his fountain pen gently and leaned back in his tall leather chair. His desk was perched on a lofty dais at the middle of the large room. There were stairs leading up to the front, but Lauren knew better than to climb them. It forced her to look up at him, and he stared down at her over the length of his nose. Anyone who came to the Ash's office to petition him would have to stand lower than the Light Fae leader as a matter of principle.

"Dr. Lewis," the Ash greeted her in his gravelly voice. The acknowledgment was Lauren's signal to kneel, and she hastily dropped to one knee and bowed her head to her owner. She wouldn't be able to stand again until he addressed her again. "I was told that you have come to request an audience with the Blackthorn."

Lauren clambered back upright to her standing position. "That's correct. I have some —" Lauren hesitated, not knowing how best to describe her situation "— some lingering questions about some of the items he gifted the clan. There weren't any clear answers in our reference manuals, and since the Blackthorn is scheduled to leave today, I wanted to ask him before he left so I can make sure the inventory is updated appropriately."

The doctor had to congratulate herself on that performance. She'd technically alluded to the watch, without saying as much, and she'd completely obfuscated her motives while still giving herself a plausible pretense for needing to see the Blackthorn. There was no reason for him to refuse her request, either. Apparently she'd been busy during the past week and had caught up with all her outstanding work, and it wasn't as if she had anything else to do today. He'd be foolish to refuse her request.

The Ash's brows furrowed together. "He gifted an item that wasn't in any of our anthologies?" He pulled together the edges of his light, tailored suit and leaned forward again in rapt interest.

"It's nothing like that," Lauren fibbed. "There were several similar entries that I was having trouble differentiating. I just wanted to get some clarification so that our records are correct."

Lauren knew that the watch the Blackthorn possessed was technically breaking a few Fae statutes regarding registration of artifacts. Since many of them could be weaponized in one way or another, the Fae constantly monitored what items were available to their clan members. If someone wanted to use their abilities to create some functional relic, they had to be granted approval first. She suspected that the Blackthorn's grandfather didn't go through the appropriate channels when he placed his powers in the watch. But she wasn't about to throw Marcus under a bus for it. Her interests depended on the watch, and he'd been far too kind to her to consider turning him in for one of the Fae's stupid rules.

"I see," the Ash mused, giving Lauren an appraising look. She kept her face stoic as to not arouse any suspicion. "I appreciate your desire to keep our trophy room in top form, Dr. Lewis. However, I am a little curious as to why this is such an urgent matter _now_, when the Blackthorn has been available for appointments all week."

"It's been hectic in the lab, sir. My other projects for this clan took priority, of course, but I didn't want to leave my other duty unattended to when the Blackthorn leaves."

Lauren's muscles were tense as she waited for a response. The Ash's expression remained unreadable as he deliberated, which did nothing to alleviate Lauren's concerns. She didn't have time to waste, and she couldn't help but feel like every second the Ash spent pondering her case were seconds that she may as well throw in the trash.

"I cannot change the Blackthorn's flight time," the Ash started, causing Lauren's shoulders to drop. It seemed like she wouldn't be getting any help from the Ash after all. "But I can make a few calls to delay his departure to the airport," he continued.

Lauren's ears perked back up after the second half of his statement. She could hardly believe it; the Ash was willing to help after all. It didn't much matter to her if it was only due to his own self-interest.

"Thank you, I —"

The Ash brushed off Lauren's gratitude with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You will only have thirty minutes, Dr. Lewis — no longer than that. I will have one of our drivers transport you there."

* * *

Just as Lauren predicted, the Blackthorn was gifted with a penthouse suite in Toronto's most elegant hotel. That section was a semi-secure area, and Lauren was provided the proper credentials to pass through the hotel's security prior to arriving. The Ash was the one that handled the second level of security, the more robust Fae security team. Lauren recognized several Fae from the compound stationed throughout the entire floor as she approached the room. None of them appeared suspicious at her arrival, so it was obvious that the Ash had briefed them on her imminent arrival.

The door to the penthouse suite was at the far end of the hallway after the elevator. There weren't any other hotel doors lining the oak paneled walls — only supply closets. The arrangement made it impossible to get lost on the floor, for which Lauren was thankful.

She lifted the brass door knocker and struck it against its plate three times. Then, she waited. The seconds passing in dead silence were uncomfortable. She knew the Blackthorn was there because of the security team outside, but it was still awkward waiting with their unfriendly eyes boring into her back. She visibly relaxed when Marcus opened the door to greet her. Even at the early hour, he was still impeccably dressed in a sleek, gray three-piece suit.

"Dr. Lewis," he said with a polite smile. Lauren might have been projecting, but he didn't look all that surprised to see her there. "To what do I owe the pleasure this morning?"

Lauren glanced behind her uneasily, eying the Fae guards behind her. "I had a few questions about —" she paused, realizing that she couldn't speak freely until her and Marcus' conversation was private, "— one of the _particular_ items from your collection." She gave him a serious look, hoping that he caught onto her true meaning. "The Ash granted me permission to see you."

Marcus wisely feigned ignorance. "I see," he said, pursing his lips together. "Well, I wouldn't want the ignore the Ash. Why don't you come inside, and we can discuss it further?"

Lauren almost missed the furtive glace he cast over her shoulder, it was so quick. She stepped inside the wide open door and couldn't help but stare at the magnificent room. Between the marble flooring, crystal chandeliers, and designer mahogany furniture, she probably would emptied her bank account paying for a single night at this place. Of course, the Blackthorn would have his expenses paid for in full by the Ash, but it only served to highlight the differences between them both. Anytime Lauren was sent away to consult for another clan, she was provided one "guard" (which was actually more of a baby-sitter to ensure she didn't run away) and a cheap motel. Perhaps the only complimentary thing she could say about those experiences was that none of the places she stayed at in the past had rats or roaches.

"How did you enjoy your trip, Dr. Lewis?" Marcus asked after he'd closed the door.

"I don't know," Lauren admitted. "I guess it was… interesting."

"And now I suppose you have even more questions."

"That depends. Do you plan on answering any of them?" Lauren didn't intend for her tone to sound so defensive, but she'd just been through quite the ordeal over the past couple of days. She hated being confused about anything, and the irritation she felt at her own ignorance was grating on her nerves.

"I will answer some of them now, yes. However, there are still many things that you will need to discover on your own."

"But why though? _Why_ can't you tell me?"

Marcus gave her a winning smile. "Sit down with me, please?" he asked, extending his arm toward the huge L-shaped leather sofa at the far side of the room.

Lauren agreed, not that she had much choice in the matter anyways if she wanted to get her answers. She realized that she was bouncing her legs unconsciously once she sat down, so she had to forcibly relax them and try to settle her nerves. Marcus didn't immediately join her on the other side of the couch; instead, he stopped at the mini bar to pour them both a glass of wine. Lauren raised an eyebrow at him as he returned and proffered the glass.

"Sir, you do realize that it's not even noon yet, correct?" Lauren asked, though she still took the glass from him.

"I know. This is a special Fae vintage though — imported and _very_ good," he assured her. "I assume you haven't had the opportunity to try it yet. It's such a rarity, it would be a shame for you to not have any."

The deep red wine sparkled in the glass. Lauren raised it to her lips and took a small sip, enjoying the taste. It was just the right mixture of sweetness and sourness, with a slight burn that made her throat tingle. Marcus was right; it was _very_ good. Lauren took several more before she stared at him expectantly, clearing over half of her glass and allowing him to do the same.

"I suppose you should ask your questions now, since our time is limited," Marcus said. He twisted to sit his glass on the end table at the far end of the sofa. Lauren continued to hold hers and tapped her fingers along the glass stem.

Lauren decided to start with the most obvious. "You said 'the hands were set' when I asked you how I would know where to go. What did you mean by that?"

"The watch is merely a tool inundated with a certain amount of Fae power, as you well know. It can't make decisions on its own. Someone has to tell it what to do — how to shift matter, which direction to accelerate time, and how far to accelerate time. I was responsible for 'setting the hands,' so to speak."

"So if I wanted to…" Lauren trailed off.

"You could theoretically make the watch take you any time or anyplace that you wanted." Marcus' face grew serious, and he gave Lauren an imploring look. "Though I wouldn't recommend that, Dr. Lewis. As I explained before, the watch is nearing the end of its life. If it's used inappropriately and its powers run out, you won't have the means to complete your task. I have already gone to the trouble of making all the arrangements for you, so you needn't worry about changing the watch's hands."

"How did you know where to send me?"

He gave her that polite smile of his again. "You forget that I've visited the past numerous times. By now, I've discovered exactly what points in that time need to be intervened."

"And the stable? Was it entirely necessary to send me _there_ of all places?"

"Of course," he said, as if should have been painfully obvious. "Did you not remember what happened after you arrived?"

She almost got impaled by a unicorn horn — Lauren remembered that detail vividly. Then Kenzi came rushing in and noticed her, and then… then it was Bo. The only connection so far that she'd made to the infamous Blood King. Marcus watched Lauren piece together the puzzle in her head with an amused expression.

"Did you know that Bo would be there?" Lauren asked.

"I did."

Lauren couldn't help but feel manipulated a little bit. She'd enjoyed Bo's company and was grateful for the kindness she'd shown her, but their meeting had been contrived by Marcus, for better or for worse. As soon as Lauren realized it, she instantly felt protective of Bo, wanting to keep her away from the Blackthorn's meddling. She knew that he had the interests of the Fae at heart, but Lauren wasn't a huge sympathizer with the Fae as an entire race. She cared more about certain individual Fae than she did about the entire clan, and Bo was quickly becoming one of them. She didn't deserve to be manipulated to achieve a higher purpose.

Marcus clearly took Lauren's silence as a sign of her disagreement. "You need to understand some things, Dr. Lewis — some things that have been kept silent in our world for hundreds of years. Things regarding the Blood King's rule. I trust that you met him during your initial visit, as I intended?"

Lauren's posture grew rigid. She distinctly remembered the arrogant king: how he belittled her, how he patronized his daughter, and how he hero-worshiped _Dyson_ of all people.

"Yes," Lauren replied tersely. "We met."

Marcus nodded. "Back then, he was the most powerful Fae in the land. As a blood sage, you can imagine the type of power he wielded over others. People respected him, deferred to him even. He secured a sizable kingdom for himself under the mere _threat_ of his power. Nobody wanted to oppose him; it was too risky to go against someone who could instantly end your life — and your entire clan's — with a few drops of his blood scrawled across a page. That didn't stop him from killing though. He was flighty and arrogant. If anyone didn't pledge fealty to him, they paid for with their lives and the lives of their loved ones."

"Bo mentioned something about outlaws, though." Lauren frowned. "How could there be outlaws if the Blood King killed them all?"

"He fell in love with a succubus. To this day, I'm not sure if she truly loved him back or not, but one of her conditions upon marrying him was that he took a blood oath never to write in his blood book ever again," Marcus explained. "When Aife was made queen, the bloodshed stopped. There were more than a few that believed their love was only one-sided, and I'm afraid I can't tell you one way or another. But I can tell you that Fitzpatrick loved her very, very much. The Fae thought her a saint, of course. She instantly stopped centuries of violence."

Something wasn't adding up. If Aife's marriage to the Blood King stopped his unrelenting violence against all Fae, how did they come into conflict again? It sounded as if Aife's presence provided a peaceful influence to the kingdom.

"If she was so well loved, then why did Fae start rebelling against the kingdom?" Lauren asked.

"Without using his abilities as a blood sage, Fitzpatrick was a rather inept ruler by his own merits," Marcus explained. "He was a fickle, wasteful leader and was constantly accused of cronyism. Some Fae didn't much care either way as long as they weren't affected," Marcus shrugged. "But it didn't take long before a sizable force opposed him. They made themselves known, and without using his blood powers, I'm afraid that Fitzpatrick didn't know how to handle them. The hostilities reached a tipping point, and instead of admitting any wrongdoing, Fitzpatrick did his last act as king: he passed the universal laws, split the clans into Light and Dark and renounced the throne."

"What happened to him?"

Lauren hadn't heard anything of the Blood King after the clans were formed. It was if he'd suddenly dropped off the face of the earth, and as someone who was so instrumental in creating the current Fae political system, she would have expected him to be featured in the history books or online resources. He was in neither, and it was as if after the Light and Dark Fae were formed, he ceased to exist.

"Instead of living the rest of his long years facing his mistakes publicly, he used his blood powers again," Marcus explained. "He wrote himself and his many misdeeds out of history so preserve his image of a strong king, and he has been hiding in plain sight for five hundred years."

"What about Aife?"

If what Marcus said was true, then that would have violated their marital agreement. Just how much he cared for saving face was obvious if he was willing to give up the love of his life to do so. Lauren found herself liking him even less, if that were possible.

"She was never heard from again."

"And…" she swallowed thickly, "… and Bo?"

Marcus shook his head sadly. "The same, I'm afraid."

The news shouldn't have bothered Lauren as much as it did. After all, she'd known Bo for a day — one single day five centuries ago. Not knowing her fate shouldn't have made her throat constrict uncomfortably like it was doing now.

Marcus pressed on since Lauren stayed silent: "You see Lauren, while we just met officially last week, I'm familiar with the way you operate when given a task. In trying to solve this problem, I've kept tabs on your work with the Light and have maintained contact with your colleagues here. They all speak very highly of your professionalism, especially Paige. But I also know that you would have gone to Fitzpatrick immediately to solve the problem, and you would _never_ have succeeded. Trust me."

"You don't know that." Lauren countered. "I might have been able to convince him."

"It's not your shortcoming that I speak of. You're one of the most brilliant minds I've ever encountered — Fae _or_ human," Marcus complimented her. "Of all the people that might have tried to convince him, I feel like you would have the best chance. But Fitzpatrick was weak-minded and hid only behind the strength of his Fae abilities. For someone who'd already been living two millennia at the time, he was terribly short-sighted and obtuse. People that are that ingrained with their beliefs and behaviors don't change overnight. Systematized abuses of power and oppression have to be fought from all sides, and that takes a stronger leader than Fitzpatrick could ever be. If the divide in the Fae is to be repaired, then someone else must lead in his stead — someone with a strong will and a strong mind."

Lauren was taken aback. "Am I supposed to select the Blood King's replacement?" she asked.

"Not exactly. Fitzpatrick's laws must be undone before the Fae can recognize a new leader. Since the Blood King has rescinded his title, his heir has technically inherited the throne, should they choose to accept it. That's the only way that the Blood King's laws can be officially undone."

Lauren put two and two together in her head, and her eyes widened when she realized what Marcus was implying.

"Bo," she gasped. "But you said nobody ever heard from her again."

Marcus nodded. "I did."

"Then how am I supposed to find her?"

Marcus leaned forward and stood from the sofa. As soon as he was upright, there was a knock at the door. Lauren stole a quick glance at the ornate clock hanging from the wall, and it looked as if her thirty minutes were up. She didn't know if Marcus was just that good at anticipating the time or if he'd been secretly stealing glances at it during their entire discussion. It didn't make much difference to what would happen next though. Marcus would be escorted from his room, and of course Lauren would be dismissed. Several seconds later, the door opened, and three Light Fae attendants entered, stopping in the entranceway. All three of them bowed to the Blackthorn.

"Your car is ready to take you to the airport, sir," the one in front announced.

The others stayed completely silent, and all three of them stood at a stiff, attentive position with their legs in a slightly widened stance and their arms hanging in front of them, loosely grabbing a single wrist. Marcus nodded once to them in acknowledgment before returning his attention to Lauren.

"I can't give you an answer to that question, unfortunately," he said, actually looking apologetic. "But your influence with her is stronger than you think. I have all the confidence in the world that you can figure it out, Dr. Lewis."

* * *

Bo tried her best to be unaffected by Lauren's departure, but unfortunately, the cracks were showing. Nobody save for Kenzi and Ciara — or perhaps even her mother — would have suspected why, but the others did notice. Bo was always treated differently in court because of her station, but they were even more deferential to her now, almost to the point where nobody approached her. There were of course some people that didn't read her social cues very well, Dyson being one of them. He seemed to think that his annoying persistence would help cheer her up, and no matter how many times she was dismissive towards him, he always tried to ingratiate himself with her.

He didn't have as many opportunities, thankfully. As soon as court finished for the day, Bo escaped as quickly as she could and headed for the stables. She'd been making far more excuses to visit over the past week. Each time she hoped to find Lauren there again, but each time she left disappointed. Kenzi didn't say anything to dispel her hopes, which Bo was thankful for. Knowing Kenzi's loyalty, that might have been just a measure to make Bo feel better, but she was happy that her best friend was being supportive at least, even if it might have all been for show.

The first night after Lauren disappeared, Kenzi had been the one to console Bo when she was upset. She made the brilliant recommendation that Bo should leave some clothes in the stable for Lauren, just in case she came back when Bo wasn't there. The suggestion had given Bo hope; she picked out a striking dark green dress that would look lovely against Lauren's light brown eyes and blonde hair. Kenzi had even given it her own personal seal of approval, so she'd placed it in the stable the very next day, hoping that where ever Lauren had disappeared to, she'd be back soon. But one day turned into two, which turned into a week, and still the dress sat untouched on an empty shelf along the far wall of the stable. It was as if Lauren's presence had been nothing but a dream.

Right after the blonde disappeared into thin air, Bo had rushed back into her room, searching for the last remaining evidence of Lauren's presence: the odd clothes she arrived in. But those were gone as well, and all that was left was an empty burlap sack resting on the stool at the foot of her bed. The only thing that remained was Bo's vivid memory of her presence, and she worried that the more time that passed, the more the image of Lauren would fade in her mind. All of the worry and sadness was making Bo irritable and distracted, but she didn't know what to do about any of it.

For the sixth day in a row, the succubus circled the worn grassy path around the west wall. Bruce waved politely in the distance as she passed by, which Bo returned, though she didn't stop to talk to him. She was making her daily run to the stable, hoping to see Lauren — it had become a naive hope, but nonetheless one that Bo couldn't let go. Kenzi would still be around, though with her duties changing from day to day, it was difficult for Bo to know where exactly she would be at any given moment. After each letdown at the stable, Bo always sought out Kenzi's company — sometimes for reassurance, but mostly because other than Ciara, she was the only person Bo enjoyed being around these days.

Bo held her breath as she stood in front of the rickety wooden door. She pushed it open, and Jax stomped his hooves in excitement when he saw her. Jax wasn't Bo's main concern though; she easily glanced past him to the far wall, where the green dress was still resting untouched. Bo let out the breath she'd been holding, and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Yet another day, and Lauren had still not reappeared. Bo didn't have an absolute idea of when she would give up hope — it wasn't as f Lauren _said_ if or when she'd be coming back — but it was becoming increasingly difficult to hope for her to arrive when there were no guarantees of her coming back.

The brunette dutifully trudged up to Jax, who wouldn't be happy unless he'd gotten some attention before she left. For a unicorn, he was surprisingly perceptive. He seemed to sense Bo's morosity and knew that she wasn't feeling particularly playful. He nestled his huge head against her shoulder and stilled as she stroked his neck. She stayed there for several long minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet and the feeling of Jax's warm, sleek coat beneath her hand.

"She still hasn't shown, I take it?"

Bo didn't even have to look to recognize Kenzi's understanding voice. It had recently become a daily ritual between them both, Kenzi consoling Bo each day after she arrived to another empty stable.

"No. There's nothing," Bo replied, trying vainly to hide her disappointment.

Kenzi's light steps barely rustled the straw on the stable floor as she walked around to Bo's other side. The young girl reached up to scratch the bridge of Jax's nose while Bo kept petting him, and the combined sensations made him close his eyes in contentment. They stood in silence for a few moments. Bo was thankful for the brief reprieve, not wanting to really broach the subject of Lauren's continued absence.

"Listen, Bo…" Kenzi started gently, "I know that this week has been hard on you. I'm with you all the way, with whatever you want to do, but Bo-Bo — I think you maybe need to consider the real possibility that Lauren may not be coming back." The black-haired girl's usually loud and confident voice grew even quieter. "I don't like seeing you like this."

"Like _what_ exactly?"

Kenzi sighed and took a step closer to her best friend, invading her personal space. "Bo, you haven't been acting right recently. When was the last time you ate something?"

"I've been busy all day, Kenz. I haven't had the time."

"And when was the last time you fed?"

Bo finally looked up to meet Kenzi's eyes. They were challenging, but there was no malice behind them. It was a look of pure concern, and Bo couldn't muster up the gall to make the snappy retort that she wanted to.

"A couple of weeks ago," Bo muttered.

"Bo, you can't do that to yourself," Kenzi scolded her in a calm voice. "I know you're upset about Lauren, but you can't keep living like this."

The succubus hung her head again and looked pointedly at the ground. It had been awhile since she fed, certainly, but she was originally planning on addressing that issue soon enough. But after the mishap with Lauren arose, she found that she wasn't much in the mood to take care of it. Her hunger wasn't helping matters, as when she was hungry, she was at uncharacteristically depressed and burnt out. She was convinced that most of the way she was feeling had nothing to do with her hunger, however.

"I've got an idea," Kenzi said. All hint of reprimand was gone from her tone, and she was oddly placating. "Someone kind of special promised me a blackberry pie last week, so why don't you help me give Bruce's catoblepones a bath, and then I can share some with you?" She nudged Bo's elbow playfully. "What do you say, Bo?" Kenzi shot her best friend an infectious grin.

Bo hesitated and glanced at the dress one more time before letting out a huge sigh. "Sure, Kenzi, she said, giving Kenzi her most convincing smile in return. Bo wanted to mean it completely, but it was still forced. She'd made an effort though, and Kenzi was mollified.

"That's my girl, Bo-Bo. Now come on, I don't think you've met these guys before."

Kenzi practically skipped out of the stable. Whenever an underfae needed a bath, it always had to happen by the outdoor well, where numerous buckets were available for drawing water. The ocean was all the way down the cliffs (though there was a secret passageway that Kenzi had shown Bo years ago), and the stream was too far through the forest to be safe. Bruce ended up creating a handy little washing station to use by the well, and anytime an underfae needed a bath, he'd personally herd them out to the pen to be cleaned. Bo practically had to jog to keep up with her best friend. A tiny group of mud-covered catoblepones were grazing peacefully waiting for them inside the fence, and Bo turned her nose up at them.

Bo had heard of a catoblepas before, though she'd never seen one in person. They looked downright scary, and based on the stories she'd heard, they were highly dangerous. If they glanced at someone the wrong way, they could end up killing them, and their breaths were toxic vapors. That wasn't even considering the stout pair of horns on their heads or the heavy scales on their backs. Even with a sword, one would have been hard pressed to fight one of these beasts off if they attacked.

"Are you sure this is safe, Kenzi?" Bo asked uneasily. She paused at the edge of the wooden gate after Kenzi waltzed straight inside.

The tiny girl shrugged and grabbed a bucket to load at the well. "They look scarier than they are."

"But their eyes…"

"Bo, they only look at the ground unless you attack them."

"What about their breath?"

"It's only like that because they eat poisonous plants. They're doing us all a favor actually — keeping the poisonous plant underfae from taking over the fields. As long as you don't get too close to their mouths you'll be fine."

_No problems there_, Bo thought. She wouldn't have been tempted to get close to one of those mouths if someone paid her a hundred pounds of silver. They weren't nearly as tall as Jax in stature, though they probably weighed about the same as the huge unicorn. Their bodies were thick and stocky, with a build somewhere between a bull and a wild boar.

Bo stepped into the pen carefully, passing within inches of one catoblepas on her way to Kenzi's side. The large beast didn't pay her any notice and happily continued grazing on the green grass without looking up. She made it to Kenzi's side without any of the other creatures stirring, and Kenzi gave her a satisfied smirk.

"See?" Kenzi said. "They're nice. Now take this —" Kenzi's face strained as she handed Bo a heavy water bucket, "— and this —" she gave Bo a wash rag, "— and get to work, succubus. Make those scales nice and shiny."

Kenzi grabbed a bucket for herself as well before approaching the other side of the catoblepas Bo was rinsing. The succubus was still a little jittery and chose the spot closest to the gate, so all she saw was the forest beyond them. As Kenzi predicted though, the large beast didn't even flinch when they doused it with water, and he stayed still as she and Kenzi scrubbed the flecks of mud from its back. The longer Bo worked, the more comfortable she got with it. Eventually she stopped worrying at all. Once the mud was off, the dark scales actually were quite pretty; they had a faintly iridescent tint that glinted beautifully in the sunlight, and it was oddly satisfying to uncover them. Bo hardly noticed that over an hour had passed as they continued washing.

"You know, Bo," Kenzi said idly, breaking their comfortable working silence, "I realize you were excited to split my pie with me, but I think we should probably rethink that once we get back."

Kenzi's statement was so random, so completely unexpected, that Bo was taken aback by her words. When they first started washing, Kenzi would occasionally break the silence to point out some tips to Bo on how best to reach the difficult spots where scales overlapped, but those tidbits stopped some time ago. There had been nothing but the gentle sound of the breeze whistling through the grass and the trees since then. Even so, it was such an unexpected topic that Bo's brows actually frowned in confusion. Kenzi only looked back at her with an amused expression.

"Why?" Bo asked, dumbfounded. "Did you remember some other plans or something?"

Kenzi's smirk grew even wider. "No. But come to think of it, I think _you_ may have some other plans, succubus."

Bo's frown grew even more pronounced, and her hand movements paused as she worked through Kenzi's meaning. The more she looked at Kenzi, though, she realized something: Kenzi wasn't looking at _her_, she was looking over Bo's shoulder. Bo twisted around to see what her friend was looking at.

Her heart was suddenly pounding so hard that she hardly noticed her mouth hanging slightly ajar. The rag in Bo's hand was dripping dirty water all over her dress and feet, and she didn't even care.

"Lauren?" Bo whispered, unable to believe her eyes. She'd been right about the green dress; it was an excellent choice.

Lauren gave her a soft smile in return. "Hello, Bo."


End file.
